Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Minneapolis - Southwest Journal Entry Title: ‘This is me’ Entry Credit: Nate Gotlieb Judge Comment: A powerful, well-written story on an individual who overcame adversity to break glass ceilings.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Cambridge - Isanti-Chisago County Star Entry Title: Act your age! Leap year babies stay forever young Entry Credit: Lori Zabel Judge Comment: A good alternative look at a "typical" story, made strong by good community interaction. Fun writing style made this an enjoyable read.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Blaine, Spring Lake Park, Columbia Hgts, Fridley Entry Title: Man grows pineapple...in Blaine?! Entry Credit: Paige Kieffer Judge Comment: A story about a man's decade-long quest to grow a pineapple may not seem like an award-winning story on its surface, but this slice-of-life piece is presented in a fun and enjoyable manner that made this story stick in my memory.
Competition Comment: It was an honor to review the hard work of so many journalists looking to bring the "less obvious" stories to their audiences. In this age of "it bleeds, it leads" it is refreshing to see stories that dig deeper into issues while focusing on the all-important human element.