The Syracuse Press Club congratulates the finalists for the 47th annual Professional Recognition Awards.
The finalists for each category are listed alphabetically by the first author’s last name. We will reveal which entries placed first, second or received an honorable mention during our awards dinner on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
For more information and to reserve your seat or table by April 21, 2025, click here. You must provide dinner selections for each guest reservation.
Why do some categories have more finalists?
To make our contest more equitable across categories and to maintain its competitiveness, we limit the number of awards in each category based on the number of entries. For example, if a category has three submissions, only the top-ranked entry will receive a prize. If a category has 15 or more entries, first place, second place, and two honorable mentions could be awarded. You can review the complete scale on the contest’s rules and eligibility page.
We do give the judges discretion. If the judges determine some entries in a category fail to meet the threshold of award quality, they may choose to select as few award recipients as they deem appropriate.
Stiff Competition
We received 390 entries across 56 categories. Our judges from partner press clubs in California, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin had the daunting task of reviewing and ranking the top entries for each category. On average, fewer than one-third of the entries submitted in each category earned a spot on the finalists’ list.
On behalf of the Syracuse Press Club, congratulations to our finalists and thanks to all of this year’s entrants for providing central and northern New York with essential journalism.
Finalists
Magazine
Best Overall Magazine
- Central New York Magazine, Central New York Magazine January/February 2024
- Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, MyZoo Magazine
- New York Horse, New York Horse/Equine Alley Almanac
Best Newsletter or Trade Publication
- Advance Media New York, Central Upstate Mfg. Edition 12
Digital Journalism: All
Multimedia Story
- Spectrum News 1, Local nonprofit feeds hundreds Thanksgiving dinner in Syracuse, Emily Kenny
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, A child’s death and a mystery: How did Mehlaya get the fentanyl?, Rylee Kirk, Katrina Tulloch
- Newhouse Spotlight Team, Chipped Away, John Perik, Lilli Iannella, Finn Lincoln, Julie Gilchrest
- Central Current, Asha Laaya ‘Farm of Hope’ added 14 acres to its farm. Now it needs staff to expand its reach, Yolanda Stewart, Michelle Gabel
Breaking News
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, A little girl’s death remained secret for 3 months until 2 women asked: Where’s Neffy?, Marnie Eisenstadt
- Spectrum News 1, Hochul tours Rome tornado damage, Luke Parsnow, Shalon Stevens, Krystal Cole
Best News Website
- urbancny.com/ Urban CNY News, Kenneth Jackson
Best Use of Social Media
- Cortland Standard, Cortland Kickback, Lily Byrne
- Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Camille Murphy
Best Blog
- urbancny.com/ Urban CNY News, The Hall Monitor, Kenneth Jackson
- WCNY, Capitol Notes, David Lombardo
Graphics
- Spectrum News 1, Follow this path if you have one day to attend the New York State Fair, Emily Kenny
Digital Video Journalism
- urbancny.com/ Urban CNY News, Inspiration for the Nation, George A. Kilpatrick
- CNY Central, Weather Wisdom, Violet Scibior
Photography
Carl Single Award for Spot News Photography
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Syracuse house collapse: 3 children in ‘critically stable’ condition at hospital, Charlie Miller
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Police in Mourning, Dennis Nett
Feature Photo
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Long Jump, Scott Schild
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Police officer’s widow escorted into funeral, Scott Schild
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Syracuse Stares at the Sun, Katrina Tulloch
Photo Essay
- The Citizen, Roseann’s story of homelessness in Auburn, Kevin Rivoli
Portrait
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, His and Hers Elections, N. Scott Trimble
Sports Photo
- Mets News and Links, Air Bannon, Herm Card
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Crosscheck, Scott Schild
- Syracuse.com | Post Standard, Emotions after scoring, Scott Schild
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Balancing Act, N. Scott Trimble
Print News
Front Page Design
- The Palladium-Times, Trump Guilty, Charles Ellis
Print/Digital News: All
Editorial
- The Citizen, Mourn the slain Syracuse officers, but leave politics out of it, Michael Dowd
- Cortland Standard, A Recipe for Senior Services, Todd R. McAdam
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Syracuse amp lawn chair ban smells like another Live Nation money grab, Marie Morelli
Spot News
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Tornado tears through Rome, Glenn Coin, James McClendon, Rylee Kirk, Jon Moss, N. Scott Trimble
- The Citizen, Coverage of Wells College’s closure, Robert Harding, Kevin Rivoli, Christopher Malone
- The Palladium-Times, For 3½ minutes, Oswego goes dark, Ken Sturtz, Mike Perkins, Nate Sprenger, Josh St. Croix, Charles Ellis
Column
- Cortland Standard, Being a Victim Leaves Lasting Scars, Kevin T. Conlon
- The Reporter, Columbia protesters chant, “No More Money for Israel Crime”, Bill Simons
Critique
- Cortland Standard, My Fair Lady’: A painfully relevant classic at CRT, Lily Byrne
- Utica Phoenix Media, All Good Things Come to an End: “Nolly,” a three-part series, solves one of the most intriguing mysteries of British popular culture and celebrates the life’s work of a TV trailblazer, Ron Klopfanstein
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, You can’t escape death, so you might as well dance (Flaming Lips Review), Katrina Tulloch
Headline Writing
- The Citizen, Welsh Allyn, ‘SALT’-y, Ode from a Nightengale, Robert Harding
- Central Current, Oswego wanted to be ‘ahead of the curve’ on public homelessness. So the city criminalized it, Eddie Velazquez
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, A whopper of a deal: Why Burger King is swallowing Syracuse’s Carrols for $1 billion, Teri Weaver, Rick Moriarty
Investigative Story or Series
- USA TODAY Network-New York, Syracuse University, Central Current, Driving Force series, Maria Birnell, Evan Butow, Kayla Canne, Daniel DeLoach, Anna Ginelli, Jon Glass, Seth Harrison, Nausheen Husain, Hayden Kim, Chris Libonati, Beryl Lipton, Tina MacIntyre-Yee, Peter Pietrangelo, William Ramsey, David Robinson, Kyle Slagle, Eden Stratton, Sarah Taddeo, Jodi Upton, Marili Vaca
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Everyone knew Ashton was in danger. Why didn’t someone rescue him from his horror?, Marnie Eisenstadt
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, They came to America to make a living. They died on a bus that was outside the law, Rylee Kirk, Michelle Breidenbach, Jesus Feliciano-Batista, Fernando Alba
- The Citizen, ‘Lacking’ in leadership: Ex-Auburn official, county legislator accused of bullying, absenteeism, David Wilcox
Print/Digital News: Daily
Human Interest Feature or Series
- Cortland Standard, A lifetime of art, Lily Byrne
- The Citizen, She saved my life’: Cayuga County women reconnect through liver donation, Christopher Malone
- Central Current, Syracuse’s South Side says goodbye to community staple Timbuk Tu African Imports after 30 years, Yolanda Stewart
- The Palladium-Times, She was a poet, but she didn’t always know it, Ken Sturtz
Sports Story
- The Palladium-Times, Cotton makes immediate impact in Cortland football return, Josh St. Croix
- The Citizen, Instrumental role: Auburn native talks bagpiping for championship Notre Dame lacrosse team, Jacob Urish
News Feature or Series
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, On one chaotic block, the heartless prey on the homeless. A shelter has finally had enough, Marnie Eisenstadt
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, The rise of the Kia Boys: Inside the fad and failures that feed Syracuse’s epidemic of teen car thieves, Marnie Eisenstadt, Darian Stevenson
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, How a blue wall of silence let Central NY prison guards get away with day of terror, Tim Knauss, Douglass Dowty
- The Daily Sentinel, Community in Crisis: Utica mourns death of 13-year-old Nyah Mway, Sean I. Mills, Thomas Caputo, John Clifford, Nancy L. Ford
Print/Digital News: Non-Daily or Special Interest
Sports Story
- SUNY Morrisville – Momentum Magazine, Coach Whisperer, Janis Barth
News Feature or Series
- Syracuse University School of Education Magazine, “Very Much Needed”: Indigenous Educators Discuss School of Education’s New Indigenous Teacher Preparation Fund,
Ashley Kang - The Catholic Sun, Blessed Carlo Devotees Share Love, Tami S. Scott
Human Interest Feature or Series
- The Catholic Sun, Ironman with a tender heart, Deacon Tom Cuskey
- The Catholic Sun, A Story of Transformation, Eileen Jevis
- CNY Magazine, Welcome to the Jungle, MJ Kravec
Audio Journalism
Human Interest Feature or Series
- WAER Syracuse Public Media, How Marathon New York is providing relief for Hurricane Helene victims, Sean Tessler
Investigative Story or Series
- Newhouse Spotlight Team, Green Black Market, Jamie Korenblat, Josh Feldstein
Best Interview
- WTKW | Galaxy Media Partners, SU coach Felisha Legette-Jack is ACC coach of the year, Glenn Gomez Adams
- WTKW | Galaxy Media Partners, DA Bill Fitzpatrick looking for the why, Glenn Gomez Adams, Lisa Chelenza
- WSKO The Score 1260 | Cumulus Media, The Perfect Game, Jim Lerch, Paul A. Esden Jr.
News Feature or Series
- WAER Syracuse Public Media, SU student fights conduct sanctions over pro-Palestinian protests, Natasha Senjanovic, Patrick McCullough
- WAER Syracuse Public Media, Onondaga County voter registration soars; election commissioners request more staff, Scott Willis
Sports Show
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Syracuse Sports with Brent Axe, Brent Axe
- Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Shout! The Buffalo Football Podcast, Matt Parrino, Ryan Talbot
Sports Story
- WAER Syracuse Public Media, Remembering Syracuse Football Coach Dick MacPherson, Tyler Aitken
Special Program
- WCNY – The Capitol Pressroom, Legislating 101, David Lombardo
- WAER Syracuse Public Media, Syracuse Speaks: A deep dive into the evolving opioid epidemic in Onondaga County, Scott Willis, John Smith, Kat Kollins, Bob Beck, Natasha Senjanovic
Student
Student Audio News Story
- Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Why a small Adirondack mountain has made big, even Olympic, waves in skiing, Nate Harrington
- SUNY Oswego, Women Seek Safe Space at Gym, Emma Kerl
Student Audio Sports Story
- SUNY Oswego, Kennedy Lends Experience to Oswego Basketball Roster, Parker Vooris
Student Podcast
- Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Canal Keepers: Eerie Encounters, Sophia Anastasakis, Gloria Rivera, Dan Klowsowski
Student Best Use of Multimedia
- Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Canal Keepers, Canal Keepers Staff
Student Print/Digital News Story
- The Daily Orange, Eroding education: The state of African American Studies at Syracuse University, Ahna Fleming, Kendall Luther
- The Daily Orange, Falk College restructure leaves faculty, students with uncertainty, Kendall Luther
- Utica University Tangerine, Bear euthanizations spark call for action among Old Forge residents, Breannan O’Hara
Student Print/Digital Feature Story
- Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Forever Young, Seth Quinn
- Utica University Tangerine, Jeffrey Siegel to perform Keyboard Conversations at Munson on March 24, Diana Sidorevich
- The Daily Orange, Syracuse Mets host the only minor league baseball game on eclipse day, Aiden Stepansky
- The Daily Orange, Dan Engelstad’s unorthodox journey led him to Syracuse assistant role, Zachary Wolf
Student Print/Digital Sports Story
- The Daily Orange, IMMORTAL: Paul Gait’s revolutionary lacrosse life encapsulates jersey retirement at SU, Cooper Andrews
- The Daily Orange, STILL HERE: Gerry McNamara has remained consistent through promotion to associate head coach, Henry O’Brien
- The Daily Orange, Joey Spallina searching to lead USA Box Lacrosse to 1st-ever gold medal, Zachary Wolf
Student Television/Video News Story
- Newhouse at Syracuse – NCC News, NY-3: The Special Election to Replace Santos, Chilekasi C Adele
- Citrus TV, Remembering Annie Eisner, Tyler Oldano, CitrusTV News Staff
- Newhouse at Syracuse – NCC News, Child Poverty Rate in Syracuse Remains High; How the Community is Responding, Max Williams
Student Television/Video Feature Story
- Newhouse at Syracuse – NCC News, Welding with a purpose: empowering women at Ironwood Studios, Moira Vaughan
- Newhouse at Syracuse- NCC News, Central New York Drive-In Opens for First Time in 40 Years, Max Williams
Television
Investigative Story or Series
- WSYR-TV, Inside Ashton’s Home, Rachel Polansky, Tom Cunningham, Jack Estabrook
- Newhouse Spotlight Team, Green Black Market, Zach Richter, Jamie Korenblat, Josh Feldstein, Nardeen Saleep
- WWNY, Former Ivy Ridge Worker Speaks to 7, Diane Rutherford, Trevor Payant
Special Program
- CNY Central, Black History Month: The Hidden Gems of CNY, Barb Barrino, Michael Benny, Allura Leggard
- CNY Central, 22nd Congressional District Debate, Brandon Ladd, Lane Russell, Michael Benny, Matt Mulcahy, Megan Coleman
- WSYR-TV, Honoring Black History, Iris St Meran, Chrissi Galvin, Jack Estabrook
- WCNY, Behind the Woman: Felisha Legette-Jack, Francis Tavino, Jenna Fields, Sharlene Richards, Doug Moreau, Juhanna Rogers
Sports Show
- CNY Central, Pay to Play, Brandon Ladd, Matt Mulcahy, Samantha Croston
- WCNY, Inclusive Sports, Doug Moreau, Wendy Wang, Alec Ambruso, Josh Patch, Ryan Hill, Sharlene Richards, Bruce Jans, Jenna Fields
- CNY Central, Why am I a Met’s fan?, Ashley Wenskoski , Samantha Croston
Sportscast
- WBNG-TV, The 12 SportsDesk Live from the Section IV High School Football Championships, Zach Grady, Tanya Cleary, Michael Villegas, Keith Savage, Luke Meade
Sports Story
- WSYR-TV, SU Soccer Player’s Connection with Young Fan, Maddie Mustion
- WPBS, Girls’ Wrestling Expands, Michael Riecke, Luke Smith
- Spectrum News 1, Two of a kind: Soccer twins making mark on separate pitches, Jackson Wang, Jesse MacWilliam
Spot News
- WSYR-TV, Two Officers Shot & Killed, NewsChannel 9 Staff
- Spectrum News 1, Rome Tornado Breaking News Coverage, Ray Sullivan, Andrew Henderson, Rebecca Frazier, Casey Bortnick, Marisa Jacques, Melissa Krull, Shalon Stevens, Dan Bazile, Julie Chapman, Krystal Cole, Justin Velazquez, Mike Kuehner
Photo Essay
- Spectrum News 1, Bridgewater Woman Pursues Vision of Music, Melissa Krull
- CNY Central, A new film, ‘The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo’ is filming in Syracuse, Westbrook Shortell
Television Video Journalism
- WSYR-TV, Will Houle
News Feature Short From (less than 2:30)
- WSYR-TV, Your Stories: Contractor Scam, Kendra Broddus, Will Houle
- WSYR-TV, Jeanette Epps Journey into Space, Andrew Donovan, Will Houle
- CNY Central, Firefighters who responded to Carbon St., Matt Mulcahy
- Spectrum News 1, Organ Donation, Shalon Stevens, Mike Kuehner
News Feature Long Form (2:30+)
- CNY Central, Look for Helpers, Michael Benny, Lane Russell, Steve Ali
- WSYR-TV, Karl’s Klocks, It’s About Time, Rachel Polansky, Tom Cunningham, Will Houle, Jack Estabrook
Best Weathercast
- WSYR-TV, 5:30 am July 10: Remnants of Beryl in CNY, Kate Thornton
Human Interest Feature or Series
- CNY Central, Remembering Syracuse adult literacy pioneer Ruth Colvin, Michael Benny
- WSYR-TV, Local Veterans Find Fulfillment Through Farming,
Ryan Dean, Will Houle - WSYR-TV, A24 Invader Heads to Normandy, Grant DeBruin, Andrew Gregory, Shawn Wayson
Best Local Newscast
- WSYR-TV, 6:30 a.m. July 17: Rome/Canastota Tornado, Bridget Brogan, WSYR-TV Staff
- WWNY, 7NEWS This Evening with Jeff Cole – Oct. 29, Jeff Cole, Erin Bischoff, 7NEWS Staff
- CNY Central, NBC 3’s 6 p.m. Coverage: Rome Tornado, Matt Mulcahy, Megan Coleman, Rachel Culver, CNY Central Staff