Award winners
Sweepstakes: Nolan Clay, "Dying Too Young" series.
Photography Sweespstakes: John Clanton.
The Oklahoman staff took first place in Spot Sports Reporting for coverage of the University of Oklahoma's appearance in the 2009 BCS Championship football game against Florida.
Other first place winners were:
Nolan Clay, Public Service Reporting
Clay led the coverage of a package titled "Dying Too Young," an analysis of the deaths of hundreds of Oklahoma children in 2006 and 2007 for reasons as varied as illness, abuse and car accidents.
Don Mecoy, Business Spot News Reporting, Business Feature Reporting
Mecoy won two first place awards. One was for a story about chemical company Tronox filing for bankruptcy after claiming it could not cope with the debt of its former parent company, Kerr-McGee. Mecoy also won a first place for a feature story on FaithShares Trust, a financial company aimed at attracting Christians seeking investments that don't conflict with the tenets of their faith.
Ken Raymond, Feature Writing, Sports Feature Writing
Raymond won two first place awards for his feature writing. The first award-winning series was "Life is Real," in which Raymond reported the ongoing struggles of a man suffering from terminal cancer. The subject of the stories, Norman author Jim Chastain, died in December. Raymond also won in the Sports Feature Writing category for "Ring Masters," about Oklahoma City's local professional wrestling scene.
Berry Tramel, Sports Columns
Tramel won for a column about Christian Heritage baseball coach Clint Littlejim. As a teenager, Littlejim drove drunk and killed a woman. He was given a second chance when the victim's husband requested he not go to jail. Littlejim took advantage of the second chance and uses his story and life experience as a lesson for the kids he coaches.
Carrie Coppernoll, Personal Columns
Coppernoll took on a year-long series of columns about volunteering that won her a first place. The columns, titled "A year of giving," featured her experience working with a variety of non-profit groups on projects. In one of the winning columns, Coppernoll wrote about working with the Alzheimer's Association, which brought up fears and memories of her own experience losing a grandmother to the disease.
Amy Raymond, Page One Deadline Layout
Raymond won for her layout of the "Dying Too Young" package. Raymond illustrated the front page story with small photos of more than 30 of the children profiled in the package, along with a timeline showing how the number of child deaths in the state has changed over the years.
Vallery Brown, Best New Journalist
Brown works on The Oklahoman's Watchdog desk. Her work in 2009 included stories about a county sheriff who lost his job after providing alcohol to a teenager, overcharging on medical bills and telemarketer scams.
David McDaniel, Spot News Photo
Sarah Phipps, Sports Photo, Feature Photo, Photo Package
John Clanton, General News Photo
Other winners:
Investigative Reporting: Vallery Brown, second; Randy Ellis, third
Public Service Reporting: Ron Jackson and John Clanton, honorable mention
Business Spot News Reporting: Steve Lackmeyer, third
Business Feature Writing: Don Mecoy, third
Spot News Reporting: The Oklahoman staff, honorable mention
General News Reporting: Ron Jackson, second
Spot Sports Reporting: Jake Trotter, third
Sports Columns: Jenni Carlson, third
Personal Columns: J.E. McReynolds, third
Non-Page One Layout: Matt Clayton, second
Page One Deadline Layout: Matt Clayton, second
Headlines: Erica Smith, third
Graphics/Illustrations: Phillip Baeza, second
Spot News Photo: Chris Landsberger, second; John Clanton, third; Jim Beckel, honorable mention
Sports Photo: David McDaniel, honorable mention
General News Photo: Sarah Phipps, third; Chris Landsberger, honorable mention
Feature Photo: Paul B. Southerland, third; Paul Hellstern, honorable mention
Photo Package: Bryan Terry, third
Web Site Photo: Chris Landsberger, second; Sarah Phipps, third
Next Story