AJAs Announces 2020 Gold and Silver Winners

HALIFAX, NS, June 8, 2021 /CNW/ - The Atlantic Journalism Awards (AJAs) is pleased to announce the gold and silver winners in the 2020 competition. More information at www.AJAs.ca.

View/listen to all 2020 finalists at www.ajasonline.org/finalists2020.

NEWSPAPERS

Breaking/Spot News Reporting: Newspaper
The gold winner is: Juanita Mercer – The Telegram – St. John's, NL – Snowmageddon.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Alex Bill – allNewfoundlandLabrador.com – St. John's, NL – Nasdaq acquires Verafin.

Andrew Rankin – The Chronicle Herald – Halifax, NS – Lawyer: tenant evicted by demolition.

Feature: Newspaper
The gold winner is: Noushin Ziafati – The Chronicle Herald – Halifax, NS – Refugee claimant 'wrestling virus' at Northwood.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Anne Calder – The Chronicle Herald/Saltwire – Halifax, NS – The extraordinary evolution of writer Amy Mckay.

Drew Brown – The Independent – St. John's, NL – Unmasking Donny Dooley: Newfoundland's most wanted troll.

Enterprise Reporting : Newspaper
The gold winner is: Aidan Cox – The Daily Gleaner – Fredericton, NB – Holes in tracking raise questions around racial discrimination in policing.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Andrew Rankin – The Chronicle Herald – Halifax, NS – The making of a mass killer.

Ashley Fitzpatrick – The Independent – St. John's, NL – A glimpse inside: a day at Her Majesty's Penitentiary.

Photojournalism News
The gold winner is: Keith Gosse – The Telegram – St. John's, NL – Family escapes house fire.

The silver finalists in this category are:
John Morris – Reuters and others – Charlottetown, PEI – Nova Scotia shootings.

Keith Gosse – The Telegram – St. John's, NL – Fatal rollover.

Photojournalism Portrait/Feature
The gold winner is: John Morris – Reuters and others – Charlottetown, PEI – Back to school after COVID March break.

The silver finalists in this category are:
John Morris – The Globe and Mail – Charlottetown, PEI – Canada/USA Border Closure.

Keith Gosse – The Telegram – St. John's – Distorted driving.

Editorial Cartooning
TIE for gold: Bruce MacKinnon – The Chronicle Herald – Halifax, NS – Show of work.
and also:
Michael de Adder - The Chronicle Herald –Halifax NS - Show of work.

Best Community Newspaper News Story
The gold winner is: Tina Comeau – Tri-County Vanguard – Yarmouth, NS – Bringing life to unmarked graves.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Maurice Rees – The Shoreline Journal – Maitland, NS – Portapique coverage.

Rhea Rollmann – The Independent – St. John's, NL – An empty lot on Eric Street holds the key to the city.

RADIO

Breaking News: Radio
The gold winner is: Mark Hodgins/News95.7 newsroom – News95.7 – Halifax, NS – The manhunt for a mass murderer.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Greg Smith – VOCM – St. John's, NL – Premier Ball calls in the army.

Martine Blanchard/son équipe– Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Une première entrevue avec le Dr. Ngola.

Feature: Radio
The gold winner is: Rebecca Nolan – CBC NL – St. John's, NL – The mystery of the Portuguese waltzes.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Janna Graham – freelance journalist/producer, CBC NB – Sackville, NB – The banished sea.

Latonia Hartery/Angela Antle – CBC NL – St. John's, NL – Dead weight at best: the frozen voices of women explorers.

Enterprise Reporting: Radio
The gold winner is: Brittany Wentzell – CBC Sydney – Sydney, NS – School advisory councils.

The silver finalists in this category are:
David Burke – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – The hidden horror of police domestic violence.

Prajwala Dixit – CBC NL – St. John's, NL – Raped, pregnant and alone in a foreign land.

Best Information News Radio Program (Selected Program)
The gold winners are: Martine Blanchard/Christine Manore,19 avril 2020: Émission spéciale: la tuerie de Portapique en N.-É. – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB.

There are no silver finalists in this category.

Best Radio Newscast (Selected Newscast)
The gold winner is: VOCM News at Noon January 22, 2020 – VOCM – St. John's, NL.

The silver finalists in this category are:
CBC Radio News May 22, 2020 – CBC PEI – Charlottetown, PEI.

ICI le midi 11 février 2020 – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB.

TELEVISION

Breaking News/Spot News: Television
The gold winners are: Angel Moore/Trina Roache/Paul Poirier – APTN – Halifax, NS – Mi'kmaw fishery.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Here&Now news team – CBC NL – St. John's, NL – Snowmageddon.

Nicolas Steinbach – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Incendie majeur à Val-Comeau.

Feature: Television
The gold winners are: Logan Perley/Michael Heenan/Jocelyn Elsdon/María José Burgos – CBC NB – Fredericton, NB – Made from this land.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Janique LeBlanc – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – L'univers du drag en Acadie.

Jessica Doria-Brown – CBC PEI – Charlottetown, PEI – Pandemic driving tests.

Enterprise Reporting: Television
The gold winners are: Ariana Kelland/Rob Antle/Gary Quigley/Sherry Vivan – CBC NL – St. John's, NL – Stopping domestic violence.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Elizabeth Chiu – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – The Serrece Winter story.

Nicolas Steinbach – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – COVID-19 dans le Restigouche : le doute plane sur la responsabilité du Dr Ngola.

Video Journalist: Television
The gold winner is: Garrett Barry – CBC NL – St, John's, NL – Show of work.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Julien Lecacheur – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Show of work.

Laura Meader – CBC PEI – Charlottetown, PEI – Show of work.

Best Television News Broadcast
TIE for gold: Le Téléjournal Acadie Édition du 21 avril 2020 – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB.
and also:
Compass July 3, 2020 – CBC PEI – Charlottetown, PEI.

The silver finalist in this category is:
The NTV Evening Newshour January 17, 2020 – NTV – St. John's, NL.

MAGAZINES

Atlantic Magazine Article
The gold winners are: Tom Cheney/Nick Hawkins – Saltscapes – Pictou, NS – A dying breed.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Emily Baron Cadloff – MacLean's Magazine – Halifax, NS – 'It should not define us'.

Tom Cheney/Nick Hawkins – Atlantic Salmon Journal – Chamcook, NB – Forest, river, fish.

Atlantic Magazine: Best Cover
The gold winner is: Atlantic Books Today – Halifax, NS – Fall, 2020: New voices, better world.

The silver finalists in this category are:
The Coast – Halifax, NS – December, 2020: The pandemic outside is frightful, but on wifi you're so delightful.

EDIT – Rothesay, NB – Fall, 2020: Change is coming.

Atlantic Magazine: Best Profile Article
The gold winner is: Stephen Kimber – Atlantic Business Magazine – St. John's, NL – CEO of the year.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Ameeta Vohra – Halifax Magazine – Halifax, NS – Thunderstruck.

Jenn Thornhill Verma – EDIT – Rothesay, NB – The yarnbomber: not your grandmudder's knitting.

OTHER – ANY MEDIUM

Excellence in Digital Journalism: Breaking News
The gold winner is: Yvette d'Entremont – Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – Body of work: pandemic coverage.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Halifax Examiner news team – Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – Mass murder coverage.

René Landry/Alix Villeneuve – Radio-Canada Acadie – Caraquet, NB – Directeurs de scrutin au N.-B. : les militants progressistes-conservateurs sont légion.

Excellence in Digital Journalism: Enterprise/Longform
The gold winners are: Rob Csernyik/Mary Campbell – The Cape Breton Spectator – Sydney, NS – Sydney's casino at 25.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Joan Baxter – Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – Port Wallace gamble.

Marine Ernoult - Actions Femmes IPÉ – Charlottetown, PEI – Féminin PluriElles.

Business Reporting: Any Medium
The gold winner is: Rob Csernyik – The Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – The casino crapshoot.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Ashley Fitzpatrick/Alex Bill – allNewfoundlandLabrador.com – St. John's, NL – Fallout of a scuttled refinery deal.

René Landry/Alix Villeneuve – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Un projet éolien qui fait jaser à Anse-Bleue.

Sports Reporting: Any Medium
The gold winner is: Tom Murphy – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – Surfing towards change in North Preston, NS.

The silver finalists in this category are:
François Le Blanc – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Yanic Duplessis: Réconcilier hockey et homosexualité.

Jeremy Fraser – Cape Breton Post – Sydney, NS – 30^th anniversary of UCCB Capers Football.

Arts and Entertainment Reporting: Any Medium
The gold winner is: Stephen Kimber – Atlantic Business Magazine – St. John's, NL – Michael Donovan's epic odyssey.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Camille Bourdeau – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Le Ballet-Théâtre Atlantique à la Fête du Canada.

María José Burgos – CBC NB – Fredericton, NB – Centennial legacy lost.

Commentary: Any Medium
The gold winner is: Connell Smith – CBC NB – Fredericton, NB – An absent goodbye.

The silver finalists for this category are:
Brian Flinn – allNovaScotia.com – Halifax, NS – Government business: under the rug.

Paul MacNeill – Eastern Graphic – Montague, PEI – The drug cave is a signal that PEI needs to do better.

Stephen Kimber – Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – Shopping while strolling.

Best Student Journalism
The gold winners  are: Nova Scotia Community College Students – www.NorthPrestonland.ca – Halifax, NS – 2020 Updates: untitled, the legacy of land in North Preston.

The silver finalist in this category is:
Alexandre Silberman – CBC NB – Fredericton, NB – With 3 students, a New Brunswick island school's future.

The Jim MacNeill New Journalist Award
The gold winner is: Ben Cleary – NTV – St. John's, NL – Show of work.

The silver finalists in this category are:
Nicole Munro – The Chronicle Herald – Halifax, NS – Show of work.

Taryn Grant – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – Show of work.

Our thanks to Cision for sponsoring this announcement.

SOURCE Atlantic Journalism Awards