"Autism — Reaching the Light Inside"

"Thorough, informative, well done. Described a complex disorder in plain language with real-life detail. Also achieved a tough balancing act in the writing: Sensitive, but not overly emotional."

"INS Watched Suspect for Months"

"Strong reporting with numerous interviews and records checked. Paper didnít take INSí account for granted and asked hard questions of how the agencyís descriptions seemed to conflict with certain facts."

"World Trace Center Survivor"

"As much as I tried to discount this entry, because the event overshadows all else, I kept returning to it: Story was a compelling, succinct narrative through the eyes of an Arizona native who escaped the towersí collapse even through she was on an upper floor. Reporter also recounted the fears of relatives in Arizona who for hours didn't know if she had survived."

A2 Personality profile/ feature writing

Judge: Liz Ruskin works in the Washington, D.C. bureau of McClatchy Newspapers, where she is a correspondent for her hometown newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News.

"Friend or Foe?"

"This story about the Border Patrol's new humanitarian mission had me from the lead: "Troy Newman is half cop, half angel of mercy. And the combination make him one holy terror behind the wheel." What follows is an unflinching description of what the desert can do to the human body; a smart, thorough discussion of the agencyís conflicting roles; and a portrait of the cop/angel. The story also nicely conveyed a sense of place."

"Scottsdale executive chef looks at the funnier side of life"

"This is a fittingly goofy profile of a former stand-up comic who became a Buddhist-leaning TV chef. My favorite detail: the chef and his best friend meet every Sunday at Dennyís. Dennyís? "The food is consistent," the subject explains."

"Archaeologist discovers ëbunheadsí"

"This is an interesting story about about finding the remains of a prehistoric culture in a modern subdivision. It nicely connects the ancient and the present."

"Grounded for Gossip?"

"This detailed account of a flight attendantís claim against his former employer illustrates discrimination so vividly the reader can taste the bitterness of injustice."

A3 Sustained coverage/series

Judge: James Kuhnhenn is a Washington correspondent for Knight Ridder Newspapers. He is a co-winner of the James K. Batten Award for Excellence in Civic Journalism, given to the Kansas City Star for a 1996 series on youth. He also won the Pennsylvania Press Association's Keystone Award for a series on police profiling.

"Charting a New Course"

"This five-part series did exactly what a community newspaper should do. It chose the right subject; readers are hungry for information about schools. The reporters and editors approached the issue without an agenda. The stories identified the public demand for charter schools, the selection process, the potential drawbacks and the long-term prospects. I found the stories compelling — lots of voices and personal stories. The at-a-glance graphic on schools was a wonderful reader service. Overall, I found the series gave readers a thorough analysis of a growing national trend."

Stories about the Verde Valley
Humane Society

"The newspaper should be commended for its aggressive sustained coverage of the euthanasia issue. It discovered a problem and persistently sought answers to its questions despite a decision by the humane societyís board of directors to refuse to talk to the media. The stories thoroughly and fairly explained the humane society's failure to meet national and local standards. I didn't give this coverage first place for two reasons: I though the charter school story had greater public impact and the humane society stories did not go far enough to describe the consequences of humane societyís lack of adequate training. Still, I believe the pieces were well reported and obviously had impact — the society's board resigned."

"Quest for Water"

"This series was an ambitious effort to explain what I imagine is Arizonaís most difficult land use problem — access to water. But an important story needs to be told in a compelling way and I found that this series fell short of that requirement. The stories were thick with public officials and newsletters and court rulings, but it lacked people. After all, the story about land use is the story about how communities, tribes, towns are affected. My thirst for more voices, more anecdotes was not quenched."

A4 Commentary/analysis

Judge: Jane Eisnerís column, American Rhythms, is syndicated nationally. It deals mostly with social domestic issues: family, faith, work and womenís issues. She teaches at Penn State University and is a senior fellow at the Fox Leadership Program and the Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society.

"Creativity vs. Sculpting:
Schools of thought collide."

"A skillfull blend of personal anecdote and broader analysis of the question of whether teachers are being forced to be too scripted in the classroom."

"The ëWí Word"

"An interesting question of whether children today will be able to be soldiers tomorrow, told with verve and good historical background."

"No holds barred: the truth is out there"

"A short, powerful piece on why the writer wears a tattoo proclaiming that he is HIV positive. "My tattoo is my conscience," he writes — and by doing so, makes us all think about personal responsibility and honesty."

"Socializing at veteran posts may either bring or begin healing for war veterans"

"A memorable description of why the writer changed her mind about whether alcohol should be served at veteransí halls."

A5 Sports reporting

Judge: Gene Myers has been sports editor at the Detroit Free Press since 1993. Besides being Mitch Albomís boss, he has edited numerous Free Press books about Detroit sports.

"Mingus crowns three mat kings"

"A compelling fall-by-fall account of how three wrestlers won their state titles."

"Hometown pitchiní"

"Everything you wanted to know about how a rookie pitcher tries to make the Diamonds."

"Knudsen: Leg injury canít slow Marcos runnersí drive"

"Ouch! A well-told tale about a track athlete battling back from a bizarre auto accident."

"Hungry and sweaty"

"An inspiring, yet gritty, inside look at the premier boxing club on the Navajo Nation."

A6 Layout/design

Judge: Carmen Dybdahl , presentation team leader of The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash., is Region 7 director of the Society for News Design.

"Forgotten Warriors"

"Good briefs package, lots of points of entry, helpful index. Lots going on, but all well organized. Nice typography."

"Diva 2 Diva"

"Effective use of photo as background. The type is still easy to read. Fun to use two photos of RuPaul, in and out of drag. Again, nice typography."

"Pumpkin Heaven!"

"Good job of getting pictures of the community in the paper. Good sense of place. Page would have been helped by the use of a dominant photo. The info box also is good. But stop using that fancy serif type!"

"There is Nuttiní Like a Dame"

"So over the top, it works. In this instance, the layout fits the content."

A7 Photography

Judge: Photo staff of The Seattle Times, including Alan Berner, Steve Ringman, Angela Gottschalk and Tom Reese.

"Grad Silly String"

"This vibrant image fills the frame with a burst of joy, capturing the excitement of graduation."

"Snow on Flats"

"This is a foreground-background juxtaposition of a fence line with a bent post and a tree. It's about composition."

"Water Woes"

"A pleasing portrait with a nice touch by the granddaughter on her grandmother's knee."

"Safe At First"

"Strong, horizontal lines punctuated with the ball popping out gives this photo the needed extra element to win."