SPORTS REPORTING

Judged by Peter Spiegel, Staff Writer for sports business coverage, Forbes

First Place
Tom Danehy, Tucson Weekly, "Joining the Club"

"The first place article was really the only entrant that showed all the components of an award-winning story: in-depth reporting, solid analysis and clear, compelling writing. The reporter found an important trend, reported it thoroughly and presented it in an understandable and well-organized way."

Second Place
Jim Powers, Ahwatukee Foothills News, "Look at Me, I'm a Baseball Player"

"A compelling human interest story, but rather under-reported. An award-winning story needs more depth than an interview with two or three people."

Third Place
Ed Petruska, Casa Grande Dispatch, "Super Bowl Memories"

"Well-written and a good example of how to localize a national story. Very under-reported, however. An interview with one person, no matter how compelling, is not enough."

Honorable Mention
Jim Powers, Ahwatukee Foothills News, "Making His Pitch"

"Interesting human-interest story, but not well-executed. Needed a bit more organization and tighter editing. Good concept, however, and a decent attempt to give the story some depth - although still too under-reported."