Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Amherst New Era-Progress Entry Title: Challenges and successes, Teacher shortage, Superintendent and retirees honored Entry Credit: Justin Faulconer Judge Comment: I appreciated the longform style of writing featured in this entry. I especially enjoyed the vignettes about each retiree in the retirement ceremony article. In the article about Arnold's retirement, you covered a lot of ground without losing the reader. That takes a special skill. Your article covering the board meeting contained a great deal of complex information that is important to community members and stake holders. You were able to take that material, interpret it and make it more digestible for the average reader. Well done!
Place Name: Alternate Winner Contestant Name: The Commonwealth Times Entry Title: The education writing of Shelna Shi, The Commonwealth Times Entry Credit: Selna Shi Judge Comment: I see so much potential from this writer just from these three entries. I enjoyed the variety of subjects, especially the feature about the food pantries on campus. Continue to improve your lede writing skills and keep a close eye out for AP style errors. In all three entries I appreciated the mix of voices you included. However, I would recommend focusing on quality, not quantity. It's okay to have fewer sources if they provide quotes with more depth. Just something to think on.
