Alas, no gourmet sliders at Anchorage’s Williwaw bistro this year: The Alaska Press Club Awards banquet was a virtual affair, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

KCAW News and the Daily Sitka Sentinel came away with an armful of awards at the Annual Alaska Press Club Banquet, held virtually on April 18, 2020, in Anchorage.

The KCAW News team went to the podium nine times, and the Sentinel three times, demonstrating that small-town journalism continues to be a major contributor to statewide news.

Foremost, we want to recognize CoastAlaska’s Ed Schoenfeld for his receipt of the 2019 First Amendment Award, the Alaska Press Club’s highest honor. Ed was a familiar voice on Raven News for 17 years until his retirement in 2019, with stories on politics, the ferries, Native corporations, mining, and transboundary rivers. Press Club board member Tom Hewitt featured Ed in his keynote remarks.

All Media

Robert Woolsey – First Place – Best Headline Writing – Flicked Bics help hunters in a fix

Katherine Rose – Third Place – Best Headline Writing – One family’s pirate home is Sitka’s hidden treasure

James Poulson – Second Place – Best Feature Photo

James Poulson – First Place – Best Sports Photo

Small Newspapers

Shannon Haugland – First Place – Best Reporting on Government or Politics

Radio

Katherine Rose – First Place – Best Profile – One family’s pirate home is Sitka’s hidden treasure

Ari Snider – Second Place – Best Profile – Petersburg middle school student puts daredevil skills to work (KFSK)

Ari Snider – First Place – Vern McCorkle Award for Best Business Reporting – New generation of fishermen continues Petersburg presence in Bristol Bay (KFSK)

Ari Snider – Second Place – Best Reporting on Health – Petersburg veterinarian floats his clinic to Southeast Communities (KFSK)

Katherine Rose – Second Place – Best Education Reporting – Starved of funding, Mt. Edgecumbe Aquatic Center to be shuttered in December

Robert Woolsey – Second Place – Best Reporting on Government or Politics – Proposed land trade may turn the tide for Sitka’s maritime industry

Katherine Rose – Second Place – Best Arts Reporting – Fluffy-tailed Sitkan hops into ‘Tonight Show’ spotlight

Robert Woolsey – Third Place – Best Public Safety Reporting – Four years after deadly landslides, Sitka has a warning system