Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Washington Times Entry Title: Nondenominational churches rise in large, quiet trend for Christianity; Pronatalists push for new baby boom for survival; Startups form glow bunnies, dire wolves Entry Credit: Emma Ayers, Carleton Bryant Judge Comment: Good ledes for hard news can be more difficult to write than ledes for features or sports, but not in this case. These are great examples of how to pull a reader into a story they may not want to read. Well done on all 3.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Washington Times Entry Title: Mascot confidential; The high cost of going for gold; Big guts, bigger smiles Entry Credit: Liam Griffin Judge Comment: Ledes can make or break a story. These definitely helped make these three stories. But the ledes alone are what earned the placing. Writer has a knack for inviting the reader into a story.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: The Virginian-Pilot Entry Title: USS Ford departure, Alzheimer's journey, Navy SEAL psychedelics Entry Credit: Colin Warren-Hicks Judge Comment: Intriguing ledes. They gave the reader just enough info and made then want to know more, especially the USS Gerald Ford & Navy Seal ledes.
