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AWARDS won
by UNH journalism alumni

In addition to five Pulitzer Prizes, two Emmy Awards and other national recognition, UNH alumni have received many honors for community journalism. Below you'll find some awards we happen to know about. Many of the publications that won these awards are run by editors who also graduated from UNH.

2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003|
Previous awards

2008

Emmy Awards 2008

Gary Langer '80, polling director for ABC News, won an Emmy for his part in the network's "Iraq: Where Things Stand" coverage. Langer's polling unit has conducted five polls in Iraq. More.

American Association of Sunday and Features Editors 2008

Steve Damish '83, managing editor of The Enterprise in Brockton, Mass., won two awards in AASFE's national feature-writing contest. He took first place in feature specialty reporting for three stories and second place in general feature writing for a fourth. All the stories were part of a series updating Wasted Youth, the paper's examination of teenage addiction.

NEAPNEA (New England Associated Press News Executives Association) 2008

	Lynne Tuohy '77, and Lisa Chedekel, Hartford Courant. Sevellon Brown Public Service Award for a series on a nursing home chain.
	Tom Mooney ’82, Providence Journal. First place, feature writing (60,000+ circulation), for a story on the man who solved a mysterious diving death.
	Steve Damish '83, The Enterprise, Brockton Mass. First place, feature writing (30,000 - 60,000) for "Dawn of Recovery," about the struggle of a local man to come back from heroin addiction. The story was part of a series on addiction for which Damish has won numerous awards. (See 2007.)
	Karen Sanborn Lovett '04 and Ashley Smith '04, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, feature writing, papers under 30,000, for "In Transition," a series about the transgender community.
	Melanie Asmar '04, Concord Monitor. Second place. feature writing, for "I’m Here," a story that can’t be explained until you've read it. Mel also wrote a column about getting to know the woman in the story.
	Ashley Smith ’04 and David Brooks, The Telegraph, Nashua. First for business and consumer coverage for stories about FairPoint Communications.
	Annmarie Timmins ’90, Concord Monitor. Third place for beat reporting and third place, with Kate Davidson, for continuing coverage (of the shooting of Franconia police officer Bruce McKay).
	Susan Flynn ’89, Salem News. Third place, local column.
	Alan Greenwood ’81, The Telegraph, Nashua. Third place, sports column.
	Kerry Lowe ’04, The Telegraph, Nashua. Third place, business page design.

2007

New England Society of Newspaper Editors 2007

Barbara Walsh '81 received the 2007 Yankee Quill Award for being "a feisty project reporter who writes about important public matters and issues and whose work has changed society for the better." More about Barbara Walsh.

Associated Press Managing Editors 2007

APME honored The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass., and managing editor Steve Damish '83 for "Wasted Youth," a series of stories on youth drug addiction. Competing with papers from across the U.S. and Canada, The Enterprise was named one of four finalists for the APME Public Service Award.

New England Press Association

	Steve Damish '83, The Enterprise, Brockton Mass. New England Daily Journalist of the Year. Also first place for investigative reporting, general news, health reporting, and feature writing.
	Terry Date, Eagle-Tribune New Hampshire edition. First place, transportation reporting.
	Jill Fennimore '04, Watertown Tab, Mass. First place, health reporting.
	Alan Greenwood '81, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, sports column.
	Susan Nolan, Portsmouth Herald. First place, human interest feature.
	Nick Gosling '06, Ellsworth American, Maine. Second place, environmental reporting.
	Chris Haas '07, Exeter News-Letter. Second place, transportation reporting (for a story written while he was an intern).
	Karen Sanborn Lovett '04, Keene Sentinel. Second place, human interest feature.
	Scott Yates '07, Portsmouth Herald. Second place, feature photo.
	Erica Thoits '05, The Current, Scarborough, Maine. Third place, health reporting.

NEAPNEA (New England Associated Press News Executives Association) 2007

	Karen Sanborn Lovett '04, Keene Sentinel. First place, feature writing. Read the story.
	Andrea Bushee '04 and Al McKeon, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, enterprise reporting.
	Vanessa Palange '01, The Telegraph, Nashua. First and third place for business page design.
	Steve Damish '83 and Maureen Boyle, The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass. Third place, enterprise reporting

New Hampshire Press Association 2007

	Melanie Asmar '04, Concord Monitor. New Hampshire Writer of the Year.
	Chris Outcalt '06, Portsmouth Herald. Rookie of the Year.
	Andrea Bushee '04 and Albert McKeon, The Telegraph of Nashua. First place for "Who's Watching Your Child," a series on safety at area child-care centers.
	Lisa Arsenault '03, Concord Monitor. Second place, business writing.
	Chelsea Conaboy '04, Concord Monitor. Third place, community journalism.

2006

American Association of Sunday and Features Editors 2006

Steve Damish '83, managing editor of The Enterprise in Brockton, Mass., won first place for general commentary in the national 2006 AASFE writing contest. His columns on the damage done by teenage heroin addiction took the national award for newspapers under 75,000 circulation.

Associated Press Sports Editors Association 2006

Jenn Menendez '97 of the Portland Press Herald in Maine was named a finalist in the "game story" category in APSEA's annual writing contest. The group divides newspapers nationally into four circulation categories and chooses 10 writing finalists in each.

New England Society of Newspaper Editors 2006

Meg Heckman '01, Concord Monitor, New England Community Reporter of the Year.

New Hampshire Press Association 2006

	Meg Heckman '01, Concord Monitor, New Hampshire Writer of the Year.
	Alan Greenwood '81, The Telegraph, Nashua. Sports columnist of the year.
	Scott Yates '07. third place, picture story, weeklies. (Award won as an undergrad.)
	Karen Sanborn Lovett '04, Keene Sentinel. First place, feature story.
	Pete LeBlanc '99, with three other writers, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, sports feature.
	Lisa Arsenault '03, Concord Monitor. Second place, business writing.
	Chelsea Conaboy '04, Meg Heckman '01 and Sarah Liebowitz, Concord Monitor. Third place, spot news story.

NEAPNEA (New England Associated Press News Executives Association) 2006

	Steve Damish '83, The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass. First place, feature story, and second place, local column.
	Jonathan Kellogg '70, with Brigitte Ruthman, Michael Marie, Trip Jennings and Kari Banach, Republican-American, Waterbury, Conn. First place, deadline news.
	Jenn Menendez '97, Portland Press Herald, Maine. First place, sports story, large papers.
	Peter Leblanc '99 , Tom King, Brian Miller, Gary Fitz, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, sports story, smaller papers.
	Annmarie Timmins '90, with Sarah Liebowitz and Joelle Farrell, Concord Monitor. Second place, general news.
	Meg Heckman '01, Concord Monitor. Third place, feature story.
	Dave Olson '92 and Taylor Armerding, Gloucester Daily Times. Third place, editorials.
	Vanessa Palange '01, The Telegraph, Nashua. Second place, business page design.

New England Press Association Better Newspaper Contest 2006

	Alan Greenwood '81, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, sports column.
	Jill Fennimore '04, Scituate Mariner, Mass. First place, religion reporting for weeklies.
	Matt Hersh '06, Andrew Nelson and Bill Dedman, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, government reporting (for a series on property taxes that Matt worked on while doing a UNH reporting internship).
	Andrea Bulfinch '06, Portsmouth Herald. Lead reporter on a series that won first place for health reporting.
	Steve Damish '83, The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass. Second place, columnist.
	Andrea Bushee '04, The Telegraph, Nashua. Second place, health reporting.
	Ashley Smith '04 and Albert McKeon, The Telegraph, Nashua. Second place, religion reporting.
	Kathryn Koch '95, Marshfield Reporter, Mass. Second place, health reporting for weeklies.
	Priti Prabhakar '04 and Stephanie Chelf, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass. Third place, investigative reporting.
	Nate Pardue '02, Foster's Daily Democrat. Third place, government reporting.

NEPA all-staff awards:

	The Gloucester Daily Times, led by editor-in-chief Dave Olson '92, took third place for general excellence in the 2006 NEPA contest.
	The Telegraph of Nashua, whose publisher Terry Williams '80 and numerous reporters and editors are UNH grads, won first place for general excellence, first place for sports page, first place for editorial page, and second place for design.

Maine Press Association 2006

	Lisa Chmelecki '95 and Kathryn Skelton, Sun Journal, Lewiston. First place, investigative story.
	Jenn Menendez '97, Beth Quimby and Kevin Wack, Portland Press Herald. First place, analysis.
	Laura Snyder Smith '94, York County Coast Star. Second place, front page design.
	Brendan Moran '01, American Journal. Second place, feature headline
	Matt DiFilippo '98, Kennebec Journal. Third place, sports feature.

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2005

Suburban Newspapers of America

Steve Damish '83, The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass. Second place, column writing.

New Hampshire Press Association 2005

	Karen Sanborn '04, Keene Sentinel. New Hampshire Rookie of the Year.
	Jon Van Fleet '97, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, education reporting.
	Karen Spiller '97, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, business reporting.
	Kevin Gray '95, The Union Leader. First place, sports feature.
	Jeff Novotny '90 and Sandy Smith, Concord Monitor. First place, sports section design.

New England Press Association 2005

	Steve Damish '83, The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass. First place, feature story.
	Emily Cavalier '02 and Andrew Nelson, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, coverage of a racial or ethnic issue.
	Shawn Macomber '02, Foster's Daily Democrat. Second place, arts and entertainment reporting.
	Frank Coppola '98, Portsmouth Herald. Third place, sports column.

NEAPNEA (New England Associated Press News Executives Association) 2005

	Alan Greenwood '81, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, sports column.
	Jeff Novotny '90 and Sandy Smith, Concord Monitor. First place, sports page design.
	Barbara Walsh '81, Maine Sunday Telegram. Second place for investigative reporting and third place for enterprise.
	Jon Van Fleet '97 and Nick Pappas, The Telegraph, Nashua. Second place, right-to-know.
	Tom Mooney '82 and Cynthia Needham, Providence Journal. Third place, general news. back to top

2004

New England Press Association 2004

	Pete LeBlanc '99, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, health reporting, and second place, sports reporting.
	Desiree Crossley '03, Portsmouth Herald, first place, feature writing.
	Jon Van Fleet '97, The Telegraph, Nashua, first place, education writing.
	Karen Spiller '97 The Telegraph, Nashua, first place, business reporting.
	Julie Schum Kirkwood '98, Eagle-Tribune, N. Andover, Mass., first place, history reporting.
	Brendan Moran '01, American Journal (Westbrook, Maine), two first-place awards for weeklies: business reporting and history reporting.
	Jon Root '94, Herald News (Fall River, Mass.), third place, arts and entertainment reporting.

New England Society of Newspaper Editors 2004

Jon Kellogg '70, executive editor of the Republican-American in Waterbury, Conn., won the Yankee Quill Award, the highest honor given by fellow New England journalists. Kellogg was honored for his work at news organizations around New England -- the AP, The Sun in Lowell, Mass., and the Portland Press Herald, as well as the Republican-American -- and for the lively workshops on journalism ethics he's been conducting for audiences of journalists and non-journalists for 28 years.

The next day at the same 2004 conference, the New England Society of Newspapers Editors named Annmarie Timmins '90 New England's community reporter of the year. Timmins, who has covered many beats for the Concord Monitor in both Laconia and Concord, now reports on law enforcement, including the clergy sexual abuse scandal. In 2003 she was named writer of the year by the New Hampshire Press Association. She teaches journalism part-time at UNH.

NEAPNEA (New England Associated Press News Executives) 2004

	Lisa Chmelecki '95 Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine. First place, feature writing, for a story on Brandon Thongsavanh, a 20-year-old who murdered a Bates College student.
	Tom Mooney '82 Providence Journal, Rhode Island. First place, enterprise reporting, along with five other reporters, for "Forged by Fire," a project on The Station nightclub fire. This reporting was also a finalist for a national 2003 award from Investigative Reporters and Editors.
	Peter LeBlanc '99, The Telegraph, Nashua. Second place, sports writing, for "Don't Ask, Don't Know," about the lack of oversight on athletes and drugs.
	Annmarie Timmins '90, Concord Monitor, New Hampshire. Third place, general news, as lead reporter in staff coverage of Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson.
	Ged Carbone '82, Providence Journal, Rhode Island. Third place, enterprise, with one other reporter, for "Fatal Attraction," a series on a police officer wrongly imprisoned for murder.
	Jon Root '94, Herald News, Fall River, Mass. Third place, page design.

New Hampshire Press Association 2004

	Lara Bricker '98, Hampton Union. first place for spot news (weekly category)
	Emily Cavalier '02, The Telegraph, Nashua, New Hampshire Rookie of the Year.
	Jon Van Fleet '97, The Telegraph, Nashua, first pace for education reporting.
	Karen Spiller '97, The Telegraph, Nashua, first place for business reporting (shared).
	Allen Lessels '76, The Union Leader, second place for sports feature writing.
	Jeff Novotny '90, Concord Monitor, second place for front-page design.
	Ric Tracewski '75, Concord Monitor, third place for arts section design.
	Tracy Donald Kittredge '96, The Telegraph, Nashua, third place for feature section design (shared).
	Jim Korpi '01, Concord Monitor, part of photo team that won the Dennis Joos Memorial Award for coverage of the New Hampshire primary.

Investigative Reporters and Editors 2004

Barbara Walsh '81, Portland Press Herald. Finalist, Tom Renner award, for "Crisis in the Courts." The series showed that Maine's criminal records system was in complete disrepair, resulting in low bail and lenient sentences.

2003

Pulitzer Prizes Kevin Sullivan '81and his wife, Mary Jordan, won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for their Washington Post stories on the Mexican criminal justice system. More about Kevin and Mary | Read their stories.

National Society of Newspaper Columnists

After his death covering the war in Iraq in April 2003, Michael Kelly '79 was named Columnist of the Year by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He also won the second annual Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism, named for the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped in January 2002 by an Islamic militant group in Pakistan and later killed. Kelly and Pearl were among four journalists whose names were added to the National War Correspondents Memorial in Burkittsville, Maryland. More on Mike Kelly.

Child Welfare League of America

Barbara Walsh '81, Portland Press Herald. National winner, 2003 Anna Quindlen Award for Excellence in Journalism in Behalf of Children and Families. Awarded for her series "Castaway Children: Maine's Most Vulnerable Kids." The series also received an honorable mention in The Casey Awards for Meritorious Journalism, which honor distinguished reporting on children and families in the United States.

New Hampshire Press Association 2003

	*Annmarie Timmins '90, Concord Monitor.* New Hampshire Writer of the Year.** She also led coverage of the Catholic Church scandal in New Hampshire, for which the Monitor won first place in both spot news and community journalism.
	Lara Bricker '98, Exeter News-Letter. First place, general news for weeklies. First place, investigative reporting. Third place, education writing. Third place, spot news.
	Joe Oberkrieser '99, Concord Monitor. First place, sports feature writing. Read the story.
	Jon Van Fleet '97, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, education story or series.
	Holly Bedard '98, The Telegraph, Nashua. First place, entertainment section design.
	Meg Heckman '01, Concord Monitor. Second place, feature writing. Read the story.

Maine Press Association 2003

	Barbara Walsh '81, Portland Press Herald. First place, investigative reporting.
	Brendan Moran '01, American Journal, Westbrook. Second place for weeklies, spot news. Second place (joint byline), investigative reporting. Second place, analysis. Third place, feature story.
	Lisa Chmelecki '95, Sun Journal, Lewiston. Second place, feature story.
	Lara Skinner '02, Journal Tribune, Biddeford. Third place (joint byline), continuing story.

Previous awards

2002: The Atlantic Monthly, under editor Michael Kelly '79, won three National Magazine Awards.

Emily Cavalier ’02, The Telegraph of Nashua, Rookie of the Year.

2000: Barbara Walsh '81 of the Portland Press Herald won the national Casey medal for meritorious journalism on children and families. Awarded for "On the Verge," her series about teenagers.

1999: A Hartford Courant reporting team including Lynne Tuohy '77 won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting "for its clear and detailed coverage of a shooting rampage in which a state lottery worker killed four supervisors, then himself." Read the stories.

Barbara Walsh '81 of the Portland Press Herald won the national 1999 Dart Award for excellence in reporting on victims of violence for her series "A Stolen Soul," about a woman trying to bring her son's murderer to justice.

1995: Ged Carbone of the Providence Journal won the national award for non-deadline writing from the American Society of Newspaper Editors. His work and his comments on writing were featured in the book Best Newspaper Writing that year.

1994: New Hampshire Press Association: Ali Jurta '93, Concord Monitor, Rookie of the Year.

1992: Michael Kelly '79 won a National Magazine Award and an Overseas Press Club award for his war reporting from Iraq.

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Remembering Don

Annmarie Timmins '90 is the first recipient of the Donald M. Murray Outstanding Journalism Award presented by the New Hampshire Writers Project. (More on Don, founder of the UNH journalism program.) Annmarie has worked at her hometown paper, the Concord Monitor, since 1992. She has taught several journalism courses at UNH and previously was named New England Community Reporter of the Year and New Hampshire Writer of the Year.

Meet the Awards King

Steve Damish '83 has spent his career making a difference in Brockton, Mass., and in the last few years, the world has taken notice. "Wasted Youth," Steve's series on addiction for The Enterprise, has won numerous local and regional awards (see lists at left) and served as the basis for a TV documentary on A&E. Steve was named New England Daily Journalist of the Year for 2007 and won three national writing awards in 2006 and 2008.

AWARDS won by UNH journalism alumni