Jeff Sigmund
NAA Director of Communications, (571) 366-1088
Jeff.Sigmund@naa.org
www.naa.org
May 10, 2011
NAA FOUNDATION PRESENTS YOUTH CONTENT AWARDS
Arlington, Va. – The Newspaper Association of America Foundation today recognized outstanding young journalists who develop local newspaper content for children and teens with its 2011 Youth Content Awards. The awards honor achievement in categories that include feature stories, personal opinion, photographs, personality profiles and other areas.
“As our Common Threads research demonstrates, young people are seeking news that is more representative of their lives, and want to hear the voices of others like them,” said Margaret Vassilikos, senior vice president and secretary/treasurer of the NAA Foundation. “With this awards program, we recognize newspapers’ commitment to engaging the youth audience, and honor the young journalists who contribute to this important effort.”
Winners of the 2011 NAA Foundation Youth Content Awards are as follows:
Best Children’s Writing
First: Dannika Harris, Colorado Kids, The Denver Post (Jill Armstrong, youth editor)
Second: Frannie Salisbury, FlipSide, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette (Amy Robinson, youth editor)
Third: Devlin Barron, Colorado Kids, The Denver Post (Jill Armstrong, youth editor)
Honorable Mention: Olivia Yocca, Xpressions, The Almanac, McMurray, Pa. (Allison Duratz, youth editor)
Cartoon/Comic
First: Erica Riedy, TeenLink South Florida, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale (Jennifer Jhon, youth editor)
Feature Story
First: Tanya Mookerji and Emily Selch, The Mash, Chicago Tribune (Phillip Thompson, youth editor)
Second: Laura Aguilera-Flemming, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
Third: Sara Tamizuddin, The Voice, The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill. (Molly Beck, youth editor)
First-person Feature
First: Jasmine Okbinoglu, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
Second: Katie Hubbard, FlipSide, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette (Amy Robinson, youth editor)
Third: Isaiah Robinson, Young Observer, The Royal Gazette, Hamilton, Bermuda (Jennifer Hind, youth editor)
Honorable Mention: Nicholas Goldwyn, The Mash, Chicago Tribune (Phillip Thompson, youth editor)
Illustration/Graphic
First: Rene Gonzalez, TeenLink South Florida, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale (Jennifer Jhon, youth editor)
Second: Erica Riedy, TeenLink South Florida, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale (Jennifer Jhon, youth editor)
Third: Anthony Hoffman, My MO, The Washington Missourian (Paul Hackbarth, youth editor)
News Feature
First: Marie Johnson-Dahl, The Mash, Chicago Tribune (Phillip Thompson, youth editor)
Second: Lynda Lopez, The Mash, Chicago Tribune (Phillip Thompson, youth editor)
Third: Aimee LaPlant, The Voice, The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill. (Molly Beck, youth editor)
Honorable Mention: Allanna Bean, Young Observer, The Royal Gazette, Hamilton, Bermuda (Jennifer Hind, youth editor)
News Story
First: Zach Sclafani, Voices, Reading (Pa.) Eagle (Stacie Jones, youth editor)
Second: Carlos Martinez Jr., Voices, Reading (Pa.) Eagle (Stacie Jones, youth editor)
Third: Farah and Sara Tamizuddin, The Voice, The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill. (Molly Beck, youth editor)
Honorable Mention: Sudan Furbert, Young Observer, The Royal Gazette, Hamilton, Bermuda (Jennifer Hind, youth editor)
Personality Profile
First: Hannah Besso, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
Second: Hannah Naughton, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
Third: Olivia Valdes, TeenLink South Florida, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale (Jennifer Jhon, youth editor)
Personal Opinion Column
First: Jenna Davison, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
Second: Erica Yurvati, Voices, Reading (Pa.) Eagle (Stacie Jones, youth editor)
Third: Aimee LaPlant, The Voice, The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill. (Molly Beck, youth editor)
Photograph
First: Haylee Chance, My MO, The Washington Missourian (Paul Hackbarth, youth editor)
Second: Alex Braman, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
Third: Colleen Fontana, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
Review
First: Erica Yurvati, Voices, Reading (Pa.) Eagle (Stacie Jones, youth editor)
Second: Holly Semanchick, Voices, Reading (Pa.) Eagle (Stacie Jones, youth editor)
Third: Sarah Abbott, FlipSide, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette (Amy Robinson, youth editor)
Sports Story
First: Sarah Harvard, The Mash, Chicago Tribune (Phillip Thompson, youth editor)
Second: Jimmy Loomos, The Mash, Chicago Tribune (Phillip Thompson, youth editor)
Third: David Le, Voices, Reading (Pa.) Eagle (Stacie Jones, youth editor)
Honorable Mention: Alyssa Wickenhagen, Unleashed, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic (Adriana Janovich, youth editor)
The NAA Foundation strives to develop engaged and literate citizens in our diverse society through investment in and support of programs designed to enhance student achievement through newspaper readership and appreciation of the First Amendment. The Foundation also endeavors to help news media companies increase their readership and audience by offering programs that encourage the cultivation of a more diverse work force in the press. Information about the Foundation and its programs may be found at www.naafoundation.org.