L.A. Times Scores 16 Honors from the Society for Features Journalism
The Los Angeles Times has received 16 honors in the Society for Features Journalism’s Excellence-in-Features national competition, including first place in the Division 3 sweepstakes category which recognizes the publication with the most honors in the contest’s other 21 categories.
In all, The Times won five first-place awards, three second-place awards, two third-place awards and five honorable mentions in the Division 3 category (circulation 200,000 and up; digital-only organization). In addition, The Times, along with partner CBC Podcasts, earned first place for podcast - narrative in the combined division category for “The Outlaw Ocean,” a podcast that exposes criminal activities that take place on the world’s high seas.
Society for Features Journalism president Emily Spicer said this year’s entries were “incredibly strong. The high caliber of the winners just goes to show that great storytelling is alive and well.”
Among the top honors from The Times: Staff Writer Christopher Reynolds earned first place in the features/beat writing portfolio category for work that included a piece on how San Francisco’s Chinatown is changing with the times. “Christopher Reynolds’ traveling writing vividly conveys not just the destination, but the context of each unique location,” the judges noted. “Not just what a visitor would see, but the why. The people, the history, the changing landscape all weave through these compelling stories that are so much more than travelogues.”
Here’s the complete list of winners from The Times:
Finest in Features Sweepstakes
First place: Los Angeles Times
General Feature
Second Place: Michael Finnegan, How two L.A. COVID swindlers dodged the FBI and joined the European jet setHonorable mention: Brittny Mejia, How a homeless woman and her ‘emotional support duck’ survive on the streets of L.A
Food Feature
First place: Leila Miller, Are grasshoppers as delicious as ham? Mexico’s insect hunters would like you to find out
Honorable mention: Jenn Harris, $10,000 for one Instagram post? How food influencers can make or break restaurants
Food Criticism
Second place: Bill Addison, Where’s the snook whisperer? Making mariscos in a magical Inglewood backyard restaurant
Honorable mention: Bill Addison, In a storied Hollywood pub, Horses becomes a new modern L.A. institution
Features Series or Project
First place: Gale Holland, Christina House and Claire Hannah Collins, Hollywood’s Finest
Third place: Jessica Roy, My wallet was stolen at a bar. Then my identity theft nightmare began
Narrative Storytelling
Honorable mention: Kiera Feldman, He worked from home and died suddenly. Five days passed before his body was found
Features/Beat Writing Portfolio
First place: Christopher Reynolds, San Francisco’s Chinatown is caught between past and future
Arts & Culture Criticism Portfolio
First place: Carolina A. Miranda, Beyond the 6th Street Viaduct media alarmism. Lessons from a week on the new bridge
Sports Feature
Honorable mention: David Wharton, Meet the Savannah Bananas, who’ve captivated fans and MLB. ‘We exist to make baseball fun’
Best Special Section
Second place: Los Angeles Times staff, How to Save a Life
Best First-Person Narrative/Essays
Third place: Melody Gutierrez, California’s abandoned homesteads fascinated me as a kid. Then my childhood home became one
Best Podcast - Narrative
First place: Ian Urbina, Ryan French and Michael Ward, The Outlaw Ocean
The full list of award winners can be found at featuresjournalism.org.
