The Coastal Star received 13 awards from the Florida Press Club at its annual recognition ceremony in January.
“We always appreciate the judges’ recognition of the excellent journalism done by our writers, photographers and designers,” Executive Editor Mary Kate Leming said. “These award winners are professionals dedicated to community journalism.”
Reporter Rich Pollack led the paper’s awardees with a first-place and two second-place honors in the annual FPC Excellence in Journalism Competition.
Pollack’s first-place award, in the education category, reported on how the pandemic-driven migration to Florida of affluent families from up north was pushing up enrollment figures at the region’s elite private schools. One judge’s comments said Pollack’s entry was “well written and well researched.”
Pollack’s second-place awards came in the light features and public safety categories.
The awards announced Jan. 27 were for work published from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023.
Other prize winners for The Coastal Star were:
• Steve Plunkett, second place in the breaking news category;
• Charles Elmore, second place in health writing;
• John Pacenti, three third-place awards, in environmental news, general news and health writing;
• Tim Stepien, two third-place awards, in feature photo essay and general news photography;
• Janis Fontaine, third place in religion news;
• Scott Simmons, third place in feature page design layout;
• Leming, third place for commentary writing.
In a separate competition, Paws Up for Pets columnist Arden Moore won two awards in the Dog Writers Association of America’s 2023 competition announced in February — and she was a finalist for three others — for her works published in The Coastal Star.
Her winning entries were in the behavior or training and the rescue categories. Those entries were a column with savvy advice from dog trainers and another about rescue groups helping with animals displaced by hurricanes.
Moore also won a separate award for her Four Legged Life radio program.
— Staff report
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