The Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2022 Diamond Journalism Awards, a regional competition that recognizes journalism excellence among professionals and students from Arkansas and six bordering states.
Arkansas SPJ will present the winners at an awards ceremony in June. More details to come.
This year’s competition for work published or broadcast in 2021 drew 379 entries in more than 80 categories, including Diamond Journalist of the Year and Outstanding New Journalist, the Robert S. McCord FOI Award, the Charlotte Tillar Schexnayder Public Service Award, and the Garrick Feldman Community Journalism Award.
Judges were members of the SPJ chapters in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.
The list of finalists follows, along with the publications or broadcast outlets where their work appeared:
The Arkadelphian, Arkadelphia, Ark.
Joel Phelps
Arkansas Catholic, Little Rock
Dwain Hebda
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock
Lara Farrar, Stephen Simpson, Joseph Flaherty, Thomas Metthe, Stephen Swofford, Maggie McNeary, Carrie Hill, Ginny Monk, Philip Martin, Karen Martin, Byron Tate, Tess Vrbin, Staci Vandagriff, Teresa Moss, Ashton Eley, Celia Storey, Tom Murphy, Nathan Owen, John Magsam, Noel Oman, Jaime Adame, Frank Lockwood, Nick Popovich. Jen Para
Arkansas Money & Politics, Little Rock
Mark Carter, Kelley Bass, Katie Zakrzewski
Arkansas Nonprofit News Network, Little Rock
Rebekah Scott, Benjamin Hardy, Debra Hale-Shelton
The Associated Press, Little Rock
Andrew DeMillo, Adrian Sainz, Jill Bleed
AY Magazine, Little Rock
Dustin Jayroe, Jamison Mosley, Lora Puls, Ian Lyle, Dwain Hebda, Heather Baker, Mike Bedgood, Emily Beirne
Baxter Regional Pulse, Mountain Home, Ark.
Sarah Knight, Jason Masters, Ashlee Nobel, Dwain Hebda
The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Ark.
Greg Geary
Fort Worth Weekly, Texas
Edward Brown
FOX16 News, KLRT-TV, Little Rock
Kevin Kelly, Stephen Goodale, Jessica Guy
KOLR-TV, Springfield, Mo.
Brian Calfano, Sarah Scarlett
KNWA-TV, Fayetteville, Ark.
Chad Mira, Chelsea Helms, Brad Horn, Jacob Cotner
KPEJ-TV, Midland-Odessa, Texas
Monica Quintero
KTHV-11, Little Rock
Amanda Jaeger, Skot Covert, Kelly Tibbit, Zach Keast
KUAR-FM, Little Rock
Michael Hibblen, Daniel Breen, Sarah Kellogg, Alexandria Brown
The Leader Newspaper, Jacksonville, Ark.
Rick Kron
Mississippi Free Press, Jackson
Ashton Pittman, Christian Middleton, Donna Ladd, Aliyah Veal, Torsheta Jackson, Nick Judin, Kayode Crown, Grace Marion, Stacey Cato, Leo Carney, Roger Amos, DeAnna Tisdale Johnson, Azia Wiggins, Kimberly Griffin
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, Tenn.
Jacob Steimer
Richmond News, Missouri
Jack “Miles” Ventimiglia
Riverfront Times, St. Louis
Danny Wicentowski
St. Louis Public Radio
Jason Rosenbaum, Shahla Farzan, Chad Davis, Marissanne Lewis-Thompson, Andrea Henterson, Jonathan Ahl, Brian Munoz, Jeremy Goodwin, Sarah Fentem
World Christian Broadcasting, Franklin, Tenn.
Paul Ladd
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, Tenn.
Ashley Bohle, Casey Wheeless, Harry Sullivan
STUDENT MEDIA
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Reveille/LSUReveille.com
Nick Ombrellaro, Gabby Jimenez, Piper Hutchinson, Maddie Scott, Domenic Purdy, Peter Rauterkus, Claire Sullivan, Charlie Stephens
Tiger TV
Ally Kadlubar, Aria Pons, Erin Rogers, Maria Pham, Kendall Duncan, Haylee Kennedy, Brooke Smith
Manship News Service
Rachel Mipro, Liz Ryan, Lara Nicholson, Kathleen Peppo, Brittney Forbes, Margaret Delaney, Olivia Varden, Chris Langley, Masie O’Toole, Kirby Koch, Donald Fountain
Judges have chosen the finalists for the 2020 Diamond Journalism Awards, a regional competition sponsored by the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The awards recognize outstanding journalism by professionals and students from Arkansas and bordering states.
Winners of the Diamond Journalist of the Year, the Outstanding New Journalist , and the Robert McCord FOI Award will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on June 30. More details coming soon.
Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Gavin Lesnick and Amanda Claire Curcio
Editorials (daily newspapers)
David Barham, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Editorials (non-daily newspapers)
Jack “Miles” Ventimiglia, Richmond (MO) News
Editorials (magazines)
Johnny Carrol Sain and Chris Zimmerman, ABOUT the River Valley Magazine, Russellville, AR
Columns (daily newspapers)
Kelly Brant, Rex Nelson, John Brummett, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Columns (non-daily newspapers)
Anthony Mariani, Fort Worth (TX) Weekly, Rick Kron, The Leader, Jacksonville, AR; Donna Ladd, Jackson (MS) Free Press
Columns (magazines)
Johnny Carrol Sain and Chris Zimmerman, ABOUT the River Valley Magazine, Russellville, AR; Dustin Jayroe, Arkansas Money & Politics, Little Rock
News (daily newspapers)
Linda Satter, Clara Turnage, Hammersly, Eric Besson, Michael R. Wickline, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
News (non-daily newspapers)
Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for Arkansas Catholic; Tammy Keith, River Valley & Ozark Edition, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Ashton Pittman, Jackson (MS) Free Press
News (magazine)
Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for SAVVYKids Magazine, Little Rock; Kimsey Crocker, The Curbside Chronicle, Oklahoma City; Tyler Hale, Arkansas Money & Politics, Little Rock
Feature (daily newspapers)
Bill Bowden, Sarah DeClerk, Celia Storey, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Feature (non-daily newspapers)
Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for The Daily Record, Little Rock; Rick Kron, The Leader, Jacksonville, AR; Danny Wicentowski, Riverfront Times, St. Louis
Feature (magazine)
Bret Schulte, Wilson Quarterly, Washington, D.C.; Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for AY Magazine, Little Rock
Investigative Reporting (daily newspapers)
Amanda Claire Curcio, Eric Besson, Lisa Hammersly, Ginny Monk, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Investigative Reporting (non-daily newspapers)
Scott Loftis, Carroll County Newspapers, Berryville, AR; Danny Wicentowski, Riverfront Times, St. Louis; Ashton Pittman, Jackson (MS) Free Press
Sports (daily newspapers)
Trenton Daeschner, Bob Holt, Tom Murphy, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sports (non-daily newspapers)
Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for Arkansas Catholic, Little Rock; Tammy Keith, River Valley & Ozark Edition, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sports (magazines)
Mark Carter, Arkansas Money & Politics, Little Rock; Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for Do South Magazine, Fort Smith, AR; Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for 501 Life Magazine, Conway, AR
Politics (daily newspapers)
Andrew DeMillo, The Associated Press; Frank Lockwood, Hunter Field, John Moritz, Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Politics (non-daily newspapers)
Ashton Pittman, Jackson (MS) Free Press
Politics (magazines)
Mark Carter, Arkansas Money & Politics; Staff, The Curbside Chronicle, Oklahoma City; Nathan Poppe, The Curbside Chronicle
Arts & Culture (daily lnewspapers)
Eric Harrison, Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arts & Culture (non-daily newspapers)
Aliyah Veal, Jackson (MS) Free Press; Tammy Keith, River Valley & Ozark Edition, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arts & Culture (magazines)
Nathan Poppe, The Curbside Chronicle, Oklahoma City; Johnny Carrol Sain, Chris Zimmerman, ABOUT the River Valley Magazine, Russellville, AR; Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for Do South Magazine, Fort Smith, AR
Health (daily newspapers)
Sarah DeClerk, Cody Graves, Lisa Hammersly, Ginny Monk, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Health (non-daily newspapers)
Jack “Miles” Ventimiglia, Richmond (MO) News; Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for The Daily Record, Little Rock; Ashton Pittman, Jackson (MS) Free Press
Health (magazines)
Dustin Jayroe, Lisa Fischer, AY Magazine, Little Rock; Dwain Hebda, YA!MULE WORDSMITHS for SAVVYKids Magazine, Little Rock
STEM (non-daily newspapers)
Tammy Keith, River Valley & Ozark Edition, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
STEM (magazines)
Tyler Hale, Arkansas Money & Politics, Little Rock
Design (magazines)
Chris Zimmerman, ABOUT the River Valley Magazine, Russellville, AR; Rebecca Robertson, AY Magazine, Little Rock
Thomas Metthe, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Nathan Poppe, The Curbside Chronicle, Oklahoma City
Photography Portfolio
Nathan Poppe, The Curbside Chronicle, Oklahoma City; Thomas Metthe, Staton Briedenthal, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Graphics/Illustrations
Jayne Hadwiger, Joshua Boydstun, William Muschinske, The Curbside Chronicle, Oklahoma City
TV Documentary/Investigative Reporting
Monica Quintero, David Wagner, David Lowell, KPEJ/KMIKD/ KLST, Odessa, TX
News (radio/audio)
Daniel Breen, Sarah Kellogg, KUAR-FM, Little Rock
Feature (radio/audio)
Kelly Connelly, David Monteith, Michael Hibblen, KUAR-FM, Little Rock
Documentary/Investigative Reporting (radio/audio)
J. Bradley Minnick, Mary Ellen Kubit, KUAR-FM, Little Rock
Politics (radio/audio)
Michael Hibblen, Daniel Breen, KUAR-FM, Little Rock
Health (radio/audio)
Michael Hibblen, KUAR-FM, Little Rock
Community Service (all platforms)
Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Staff, Jackson (MS) Free Press; Staff, The Curbside Chronicle, Oklahoma City
Special section (all print)
Downtown Little Rock Magazine, ADG Promotions Staff; Football Preview, Jennifer Ellis, Wendy Miller, Sarah DeClerk, Three Rivers Edition, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hannah Butler, ABOUT the River Valley Magazine, Russellville, AR; Matthew Emery, Chase Gage, Delta Digital News Service, Arkansas State Univerity, Jonesboro
Sports
Denton Postlewait, Delta Digital News Service, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro; Kenzie Sain, Chris Zimmerman, ABOUT the River Valley Magazine
Attention professional and student journalists, it’s time to enter the Diamond Journalism Awards!
Sponsored by the Arkansas Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists, the Diamond Journalism Awards recognize outstanding journalism by professionals and students from Arkansas and bordering media markets in Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Eligible work must have been published or broadcast between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017.
Entries may be submitted starting May 31 and until 11 p.m. CDT, July 14.
Society of Professional Journalists | Arkansas Pro Chapter 
