(42 entries)

Judge: John Springer, Hartford Courant
Springer wrote the story for the Courant's 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning breaking-news package on the shooting rampage at Connecticut Lottery Headquarters in Newington.

First Place
KATHLEEN INGLEY
The Arizona Republic
"Arizona's Vanishing Wilderness"
"Stories about the depletion of water sources and the deterioration of waterways are too often long and, well, dry. It is quite easy for writers to get caught up in the politics of community development and the tug-of-war between environmentalists and builders withouth painting the big picture for readers. Such trapdoors were avoided by the author of the three-part series, ``Arizona's Vanishing Wilderness.'' The first part treats the impact of growth on the San Pedro River in an interesting, refreshing way. The writer uses sight, smell and sound to bring the dying river and the factors threatening it alive. Using an authoritative writing style that is only possible when the underlying reporting is thorough, the writer introduced readers to real people with genuine concerns about the future of the river. The scientic explanation of hydrology and what is happening to the San Pedro is concise, easy to understand and interesting. The later pieces about efforts to preserve an ancient volcano outside Flagstaff and Prescott's Thumb Butte sustained the show-it-don't-tell-it style of writing that isn't often preached but too-seldomly practiced."

Second Place
KELLY PEARCE
The Arizona Republic
"Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards"
"Good leads, thoughtful quotes, strong writing and an issue of statewide interest and importance helped The Arizona Republic pieces on Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards test stand out from other entries. Across the country, public school districts are doing what parents call ``teaching to the tests.'' Public funding for education is now often linked to the rise or fall of standardized test scores. The Republic writer was able to dissect all of the issues surrounding the new AIMS program for judging whether students have mastered the basic skills deemed necessary for elevation and graduation. The result was informative stories that every parent of a school-age child in Arizona would, and should, want to read from start to finish.

Third Place
MARY K. REINHART
The Tribune
"Troubled kids"
"Great stories often flow from leads that raise questions without using a question mark. Here's one from the Tribune: `Someone must have known something was wrong. A neighbor or a store clerk. Maybe a relative. But except for one call almost a year ago, no one bothered to get involved in the short lives of Anthony Nored, Stacey Tapia, and Joseph Gutierrez.' From the plight of a pregnant 14-year-old in foster care to an adoption contract dispute that left children and families in limbo, these entries clearly demonstrated an ability by the writer to describe how lives are affected or even lost by the failures of Arizona's child-welfare system. An all-round great job on a difficult subject of tremendous importance."