(32 entries)

Judge: Mike Toner, science writer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Toner won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for a series of articles on the problems of antibiotic and pesticide resistance. He writes about the physical sciences, biotechnology, climate change, public health, archeology and the space program.

First Place
MAUREEN WEST
The Arizona Republic
"Selective hearthbreak"
"A veritable reporters' clinic on how to successfully portrray broad medical and health issues in the gripping perspective of individual human heartbreak. Many have treid, but few have succeeded so well in framing the tragic side effects of fertility drugs in intensely personal terms ­ without sacrificing an iota of what readers need to know about the big picture."

Second Place
TERRY GREENE STERLING
Phoenix New Times
"Brain theft"
"One man's nightmare is the stuff of a chilling tale, compellingly told in a way that enabled readers to understand ­ even feel ­ the dashed hopes and the anguished aftermath of a brain surgeon's mistake-compounding mistake. Excellent detail of the patient's personal life only makes the story more moving."

Third Place
TONY ORTEGA
Phoenix New Times
"Eclipsed"
"Goes beyond the hype and Hollywood aspects of "doomsday rocks" to provide a thoughtful look at the people, the technology and the politics involved in the identification of earth-crossing asteroids. The story reflects solid science, sound analysis and a keen sense of the story behind the story."