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We are one of five finalists for the best features section of a newspaper our size in the country.

Both Charlotte and Raleigh are also finalists in the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors contest, but they are in a different circulation category.

Says a lot about our features staff, and it's not the first national recognition it has won this year.

We presented our in-house journalism awards -- the Landmark Awards -- on Wednesday. (Yes, I'm just now getting to them.) These awards are based on a person's body of work for 2008. Tough competition in each category. Glad I wasn't a judge.

News reporting:
Judge: Alison Howard, a retired editor at the Washington Post

First place: Lorraine Ahearn
It's a gutsy thing to submit columns in the reporting category: Among beat and general assignment stories, they''re apt to look like News Lite. Not in this case. With only minor editing, each of these columns could have been recast as a news story, which is exactly what ought to be true of a local column.

If journalism isn't sacked by bloggers in the fight for its life, it will be in some measure because of Ahearn and her kind. Anybody with a keyboard and an ego can put a point of view out there. Only a reporter will make the case based on the evidence and accounting for dissenting voices. Only a reporter with a gift will compel browsers and surfers to want to read what she has to say. Ahearn researches her columns like a reporter, then writes them like a story-teller. Her work brings issues and people to life on the page, with writing that's well organized and vivid -- sometimes unforgettable -- yet still restrained. These will always be the hallmarks of the best newspapering, with or without the paper.

Second: Taft Wireback
Sometimes the best news stories find people we don't know and bring their lives and troubles to our doorsteps. Sometimes, as in this package, they hold a mirror to our own lives, affirming as well as explaining our experience -- not just for our benefit, but often for decision-makers with the power to make things better (or worse). These are the ordinary lives we spend in our homes (by a noisy highway), in our towns (as they grow weedy with recession), in traffic (adding to the problem in our cars or trying to solve it by taking the long, hard way), and on airport runways (unaware of the guy who spends his time keeping us and the geese apart).

A local paper exists, in part, to tell its readers: We know you. In that role, it often acts as a link -- an interpreter, perhaps -- between the community and its leaders. Much of Wireback's work in this package says: Here are the people you're deciding for. Two of his follow-up stories indicate that decision-makers were paying attention.

Design
Judge: Tom Peyton, visual editor at The State

First place: Penny Wofford
Penny won because of two SND quality covers: The essence of cool and Beyond the ordinary. She also had two other very strong covers: The Sounds of Summer and Goteggnog? Penny's design of these covers had no real weakness and many strengths, which included dramatic art, fine use of color and excellent typography. Penny seems to understand that the surprise is the thing. She also shows great talent in shifting from poster covers to multi-layer pages.

Second: Andrea Martin
Andrea had three excellent covers: Man's Best Friend, Rocker and Fighter. These covers are bold, fresh and inviting. All these covers demonstrate a clear understanding by the designer of what to do with great art. Andrea was a close second.

Copy editing
Judge: Andy Bechtel of the UNC J-School

First place: Rheta Whittington. Rheta’s entry shows her outstanding creativity and versatility. She deftly handles the headline writing and editing on hard news (the McClatchy littering story), opinion pieces (the Ahearn column and features (numerous examples). Rheta's work shows how journalists can balance design and content. This is exemplified in the features centerpiece on yellow: great headline combination (“the golden rule” about “mellow yellow”), attractive design and tasteful use of color. The form truly matches the content. In this era in which editors are asked to do more with less, Rheta Whittington shows that yes, it can be done.

Second: Jennifer Burton. Jennifer states an admirable goal: “to present stories in a way that makes readers want to dive in.” Her work does just that, in both design and content. With the economy story, she demonstrated that she is flexible and innovative under deadline pressure. It's clear that Jennifer values collaboration, and her work reflects that, especially on the photo pages that she worked on. She also has a sharp eye as a copy editor.

Feature writing
Judge: Aly Colon of the Poynter Institute

First Place: Nancy McLaughlin
It is in the still moments of existence that life explodes. Those moments inhabit the world between what was and what will be. They include the seen and unseen, the spoken and unspoken. Nancy McLaughlin explores such moments. She yanks them out of hiding and unfurls them before her readers.

McLaughlin’s stories explore those moments where facts and faith intersect. She pulls back the veil that separates them; fleshing out lives, capturing catalytic events. In “Her ‘peace with god,’ “story, McLaughlin provides a riveting description of a car accident and its aftermath. It places readers at the scene and in the mind of Tina Byrd. “Byrd was caught in the crush of metal, the impact severing her legs and tossing her upper body on the side of the road some 15 feet away,” she wrote, vividly describing a horrific scene. And then she relates what went through Byrd’s mind with this poignant quote: “I made peace with God as I was in the air.”

In her collection of stories, McLaughlin manages to expose readers to how those who live relate to those about to die (“journey to forgiveness” and “Remembering a master at spreading love”), shows how a church lives out the meaning of charity (“Faith in Bad Times”) and uncovers how Bruce Springsteen helps a pastor preach.

Throughout her stories, McLaughlin offers a thorough, balanced perspective, writes cleanly and clearly and renders vivid scenes of life. Ultimately, she grapples with the physical, the metaphysical and the mystical landscape that shapes the lives believers and unbelievers alike.

Second: Jeri Rowe
Jeri Rowe’s writing draws the reader in gently and intriguingly. Like a knowledgeable guide, he leads you down the story’s path, pointing out clues and framing the landscape. He deftly organizes the world the reader will inhabit, rendering the present and then unfolding a past that supports it.

Sometimes he lures you in with a lead that lets you “hear” the words as he did in “The Citizen Teacher.” The lead penetrates your reading ear: “They call him teacher, as in TEECH-er.” This story also serves as an introduction to multiple themes, including citizenship, dedication and friendship. Rowe weaves these themes through “The Citizen Teacher” and builds on them in another follow-up piece "Cramming: Montagnards hit the books to become citizens.” Culture, history and assimilation make this old American story new again.

The key to Rowe’s successful storytelling involves his focus on people and his ability to immerse them into their worlds. Whether it is a “Lost Boy” going home, or “The face of Green Valley Park,” or “The Goat Lady,” Rowe reels you into what appears on the service to be ordinary lives lived in their own extraordinary way. For readers of the News & Record, they become the people of the paper.

The Schlosser Award, named after retired reporter Jim Schlosser
The award recognizes a person who "has displayed, day in and day out, an intense curiosity, a depth of understanding, and an enterprising drive to discover unique and significant stories."

This year's winner is Mark Binker.

Comments from his editor, Eddie Wooten:
Day-in and day-out for Mark Binker means seven days and means long hours each day. If a story needs to be pursued, quite simply, he gets after it. His work ethic is a model for all. His intense curiosity plays out as he hooks up with sources; tracks down our legislators, congressmen and senators; monitors blogs, Twitter feeds and Facebook; and generally turns over rocks looking for ways state government affects us here in Greensboro.

All of that, and his experience reporting in High Point and about city and county government in Greensboro for this company, lead Mark to a deep understanding of what our readers need to know and being able to report the story then write it in ways readers understand.

Comments from city editor Teresa Prout:
The thing about Mark Binker is that he gets it. He gets what matters to the people of Guilford County. He gets that we write for our readers and not for contests or for so-called insiders. He gets that we have a mission as journalists but that we don’t stand a snowball’s chance of fulfilling if nobody's reading us.

A presidential candidate in town? He’ll write the hell out of it. A local woman elected to the Senate? He’ll write the hell out of that too. He’ll give you good, readable stories about such dense subject matter as the stimulus package and the state’s mental health policy. He blogs, he tweets.

He takes an impressive knowledge of what’s going on in the legislature, slices it and dices it and turns it into a story of interest and import to our community. And he does it all so well that he makes it look easy.

In August, our Life section won General Excellence in the Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award, a big-time national award.

In January, after a public complaint from one of the individual winners that she had not received her prize money, the director of the contest promised that the awards were coming soon.

We got the check and the award today. The award itself is a beautiful glass vase.

Unfortunately, even though it was bubble-wrapped and surrounded by packing peanuts in a large box, it arrived shattered.

Upon seeing it in pieces, our intrepid features editor, Susan Ladd, channeled Ralphie as narrator in A Christmas Story: "With as much dignity as he could muster, the Old Man gathered up the sad remains of his shattered Major Award. Later that night, alone in the backyard, he buried it next to the garage. Now I could never be sure, but I thought that I heard the sound of 'Taps' being played. Gently."

Then she added: "My back yard. Midnight."

Me, I'm just hoping the check is good.

(A nice end: The good people at Missouri graciously promised to replace the vase.)

The News & Record won first place in General Excellence for North Carolina newspapers for the third time in seven years.

It was one of 11 awards we won in the N.C. Press Association contest last night.

The General Excellence Award judge's comments: "Excellent use of color and graphics. Mr. Rodriguez knows how to capture emotion with his photographs. Stories are well-written, touching and very community oriented."

Our winners:
Janice Carmac, 1st place, lighter columns -- "I culled the entries to seven after the first read. Then the selection became difficult. I selected Ms. Carmac's columns primarily due to writing quality and subject matter. She is a very easy read and addresses the ups and downs of having children in a touching way without being overly sentimental."

Lorraine Ahearn, 1st place, serious columns -- "Three impassioned, articulate columns to potentially serve as a wake-up call for the community to treat the mentally ill and immigrants as human beings."

Margaret Baxter, 1st place, graphics -- "It is not often that you see art in the newspaper, but Margaret Baxter obviously has talent and a supportive editor."

Staff, 1st place, news section design -- "The paper stands out for all its features-type, headlines, art, but most of all for creative, attractive 1-A inside package design."

Staff, 1st place, special section -- "Chock full of history, but not a boring page in this well designed, well written, well executed edition. Fascinating tidbits, useful information and memorable, historic photos. Nice graphics."

Doug Cox, 2nd place, graphics -- "Good, solid work."

Jason Hardin, 2nd place, feature writing -- "Very strong and compelling vignettes that capture the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of the season. Really well written. Very fun leads."

Nelson Kepley, 2nd place, general news photography -- "Interesting photo that makes the eye wander around the frame looking at all the elements. Great job of being in the right place at the right time. The color and sharpness of the photo was right on the money."

Doug Clark, 2nd place, editorials

Staff, 3rd place, appearance and design – "Good use of typography with story feature photography. Good negative-positive space balance on Sunday fronts."

The local press did pretty well all around. Yes! Weekly, the Rhino, the Business Journal and the High Point Enterprise all won awards.

One note: former editor here Mark Sutter, now editor of the Business Journal, won first place for editorials.

The nation's most prestigious journalism award for features and lifestyle reporting is the Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards. (I don't know how it became the most prestigious. It just has been for the 30-plus years I've been in the business.)

So, I am delighted that our Life section won first place in general excellence this year.

Judges comments:
The News & Record entertains and informs in its lifestyle section. From the significant story about the church members who moved into a neighborhood to be better able to serve their neighbors to a story about online gamers, the content is reported and written well. The photographs are excellent, and the design reaches out to readers by using impact and organization. The content is largely local, and it is supplemented by local columnists.

Winners in other circulation categories included the Washington Post and the Kansas City Star. Nice company.

Congratulations to features editor Susan Ladd, assistant editor Mike Kernels, day desk chief Kim Stacks Mills and their staffs.

We presented our in-house journalism awards -- the Landmark Awards -- today. These awards are based on a person's body of work for 2007. Clearly tough judging all the way down the line in intensely competitive categories. If I were more committed I would insert links to all the stories and headlines referenced below, but, well, there you go...

(My editors don't like me to post these because it tells journalistic poachers who to go after. So, to throw them a bone, the winners are on the jump.)

Photographer Jerry Wolford and editor Mike Kernels won a second place award in the National Press Photographers Association's Best of Photojournalism 2008 competition for their documentary video "The Dragon and the G-Man."

As you can tell by the caliber of entrants and entries, the NPPA contest is a biggie.