Journalists Honoured at 62nd annual Ontario Newspaper Awards in Hamilton

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HAMILTON – The Hamilton Spectator dominated the 2016 Ontario Newspaper Awards on Saturday night, claiming nine of the 36 awards, including the prestigious Journalist of the Year award.

The Windsor Star and London Free Press each picked up five awards, with the Photographer of the Year award going to the Free Press.

The Guelph Mercury, one of Canada’s oldest dailies which stopped print production in January, picked up four awards, while the Kingston Whig-Standard took home three.

Waterloo Region Record, Barrie Examiner and Ottawa Sun claimed two awards each, while the Peterborough Examiner, Welland Tribune, Belleville Intelligencer and Stratford Beacon Herald were each honoured with one award.

“It’s been another year of profound change and loss in the newspaper industry,” said ONA award chairman Howard Elliott.

“But the one constant is the dedication to top-quality journalism shown by the hard-working men and women who uncover the stories and images you want to read and see in your local newspapers and online every day. What they do is more than repurpose content. They are generating important news and getting to the heart of the stories they tell.”

Amy Kenny of the Hamilton Spectator was named Journalist of the Year for a series on the devastating effect the decline of the steel industry is having on cities in Canada and along the U.S. rust belt. The London Free Press’s Craig Glover was named Photojournalist of the Year for a portfolio that included the powerful image of a man screaming in pain after being engulfed in flames while trying to pour gasoline on a fire at a protest.

The 62nd annual awards were presented Saturday night at a gala event at the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton attended by about 250 journalists, editors, photographers, publishers and sponsors.

Open to 32 daily newspapers across the province, the Ontario Newspaper Awards are supported by a number of sponsors including Labatt, the Council of Ontario Universities, Colleges Ontario, the Ontario College of Trades, the Ontario Professional Firefighters Association and Magestic Wine Cellars.

Here is a full list of the 2016 winners and finalists:

Martha Blackburn Award for Journalist of the Year

Winner: Amy Kenny, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Paul Schliesmann, Kingston-Whig Standard

Finalist: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator

Richard Sutton Award for Photojournalist of the Year

Winner: Craig Glover, London Free Press

Finalist: Annie Sakkab, Waterloo Region Record

Finalist: Mark Wantzel, Barrie Examiner

Investigative/Enterprise Reporting

Winner: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Matt Day, Ottawa Sun

Finalist: Jonathan Sher, London Free Press

Editorial, Opinion and Analysis (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: John Roe, Waterloo Region Record

Finalist: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Anne Jarvis, Windsor Star

K.J. Strachan Award for Editorial, Opinions and Analysis (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Phil Andrews, Guelph Mercury

Finalist: Doug Edgar, Owen Sound Sun Times

Finalist: Hugo Rodrigues, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

Online Multimedia Special Project

Winner: Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star

Finalist: Drew Edwards, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Luke Hendry, Belleville Intelligencer

Social Media

Winner: Amy Kenny, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Tim Gordanier, Kingston Whig-Standard

Finalist: Kate Dubinski, London Free Press

Spot News Reporting (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Paul Svoboda, Jerome Lessard, Emily Mountney-Lessard, Belleville Intelligencer

Finalist: Bill Potrecz, Bernie Puchalski, St. Catharines Standard

Finalist: Greg Furminger, Welland Tribune

Spot News Reporting (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Corey Larocque, Matt Day, Aedan Helmer, Sam Cooley, Tony Spears, Dani-Elle Dube, Ottawa Sun team

Finalist: Debora Van Brenk, John Miner, Randy Richmond, Norman De Bono, Jennifer O’Brien, London Free Press team

Finalist: Pat Maloney, Dale Carruthers, London Free Press

Jack Bowman Memorial Award for Spot News Photography (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Mark Wanzel, Barrie Examiner

Finalist: Benjamin Aube, Timmins Daily Press

Finalist: Elliot Ferguson, Kingston Whig-Standard

Spot News Photography (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Craig Glover, London Free Press

Finalist: Dan Janisse, Windsor Star

Finalist: Haley Ritchie, Metro Ottawa

Arts and Entertainment Writing

Winner: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Jeff Hicks, Waterloo Region Record

Finalist: Joel Rubinoff, Waterloo Region Record

K.A. (Sandy) Baird Award for Humour Writing

Winner: Ben Mclean, Kingston Whig-Standard

Finalist: Lorraine Sommerfeld, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Jane Sims, London Free Press

Business Writing

Winner: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Sun

Finalist: Amy Kenny, Hamilton Spectator

Green Environment Writing

Winner: Debora Van Brenk, London Free Press

Finalist: Bruce Heidman, Sudbury Star

Finalist: Rob O’Flanagan, Guelph Mercury

Robert J. Hanley Award for Sports Writing (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Cory Smith, Stratford Beacon Herald

Finalist: Greg Colgan, Woodstock Sentinel Review

Finalist: Thomas Perry, Timmins Daily Press

Joan May Memorial Award for Column Writing

Winner: Anne Jarvis, Windsor Star

Finalist: Greg Van Moorsel, London Free Press

Finalist: Michelle Hauser, Kingston Whig-Standard

Tony Fredo Memorial Award for Feature Writing (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Paul Schliesmann, Kingston Whig-Standard

Finalist: Len Gillis, Timmins Daily Press

Finalist: Laura Cudworth, Stratford Beacon Herald

Del Bell Memorial Award for Feature Writing (Over 25,000)

Winner: Amy Kenny, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Paul Schliesmann, Kingston Whig-Standard

Finalist: Jeff Outhit, Waterloo Region Record

General News Feature

Winner: May Warren, Guelph Mercury

Finalist: Carol Mulligan, Sudbury Star

Finalist: Susan Sherring, Ottawa Sun

Feature Photography (Under 25,000)

Winner: Mark Wanzel, Barrier Examiner

Finalist: Mike Beitz, Stratford Beacon Herald

Finalist: Elliot Ferguson, Kingston Whig-Standard

Feature Photography (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Derek Ruttan, London Free Press

Finalist: Gary Yokoyama, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Cathie Coward, Hamilton Spectator

Design and Graphics (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Tania Praeg, Guelph Mercury

Finalist: Dave Ashton, Belleville Intelligencer

Finalist: Brad Demers, St. Catharines Standard

John E. Motz Memorial Award for Design and Graphics (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Pat Weberman, William Tait, Windsor Star

Finalist: Tania Praeg, Waterloo Regional Record

Finalist: John Bullock, Hamilton Spectator

Gene Florcyk Memorial Award for Sports Writing (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Teri Pecoskie, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Greg Mercer, Waterloo Region Record

Finalist: Mary Caton, Windsor Star

Health News and Lifestyle

Winner: Paul Schliesmann, Kingston-Whig Standard

Finalist: Joanna Frketich, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Jonathan Sher, London Free Press

Multimedia Journalism

Winner: Mark McNeil, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Greg Furminger, Welland Tribune

Finalist: Kate Dubinsky, London Free Press

Education Writing

Winner: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator

Finalist: Jeff Outhit, Waterloo Record

Finalist: Kate Dubinski, London Free Press

Online Photography

Winner: Dan Janisse, Windsor Star

Finalist: Craig Glover, London Free Press

Finalist: John Rennison, Hamilton Spectator

Municipal Affairs (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Joelle Kovach, Peterborough Examiner

Finalist: Bill Sawchuk, St. Catharines Standard

Finalist: Len Gillis, Timmins Daily Press

Municipal Affairs (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Jeff Outhit, Waterloo Region Record

Finalist: Julie Kotsis, Windsor Star

Finalist: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator

Walter J. Blackburn Award for Sports Photography (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Franki Ikeman, Welland Tribune

Finalist: Gino Donato, Sudbury Star

Finalist: Bob Tymczyszyn, St. Catharines Standard

Walter J. Blackburn Award for Sports Photography (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Derek Ruttan, London Free Press

Finalist: Jason Kryk, Windsor Star

Finalist: Barry Gray, Hamilton Spectator

Online Video Production

Winner: Dylan Kristy, Windsor Star

Finalist: Dan Janisse, Windsor Star

Finalist: Dani-Elle Dube, Ottawa Sun

Larry N. Smith Award for Novice Reporting (Under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: May Warren, Guelph Mercury

Finalist: Megan Stacey, Woodstock Sentinel-Review

Finalist: Sarah Moore, Timmins Daily Press

C.B. Schmidt Award for Novice Reporting (Over 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Sam Cooley, Ottawa Sun

Finalist: Anam Latif, Waterloo Region Record

Finalist: Julienne Bay, Ottawa Sun