WBJ wins eight awards in regional journalism competition

Worcester Business Journal has been honored by the New England Newspaper & Press Association for coverage of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, along with Polar Park, opinion commentary, editorial cartoons, and special sections on Worcester’s 300th anniversary and the 40 Under Forty awards.

WBJ received eight awards, including two first-place finishes, in NENPA’s 2022 Better Newspaper Competition. The awards were announced at a ceremony in Boston on May 6.

“WBJ’s journalists work hard every second of every day to put out the best coverage of the region’s economy for the Central Massachusetts business audience,” WBJ Editor Brad Kane said. “Receiving such a large number of awards from NENPA for such a broad range of coverage is an incredible honor.”

Kane won First Place in the Commentary category for his opinion column “My son, in crisis” about his son’s long stay at Boston Children’s Hospital during a behavioral health crisis.

Former WBJ staff writer Katherine Hamilton won First Place in the Social Issues Feature Story category for the “Barriers” article in the fifth year of The Boardroom Gap series, detailing the obstacles women – and particularly women of color – face in moving into business leadership.

In addition to Hamilton’s First Place award, WBJ also won Third Place in the Social Issues Feature Story category with Correspondent Giselle Rivera-Flores winning entry “Unheard by the inner circle” story about how people of color often aren’t valued even when they are granted access to circles of power.

WBJ Art Director Mitchell Hayes won two awards for his design work.

Second Place in the Overall Design & Presentation of a Special Section category for the “Worcester 300: City of Innovators” special edition, detailing three centuries of business growth and invention on the occasion of Worcester’s tercentennial.
Third Place in the Event Special Section category for the 2021 edition of the 40 Under Forty awards. Kane and photographer Erika Sidor shared in this prize.

Hamilton won a Second Place award in the General News Story category for her “Downsized” story about the impact of the shrinking of the proposed developments around the Polar Park baseball stadium in Worcester.

Former WBJ senior staff writer Monica Benevides won a Second Place award in the Racial, Ethnic, or Gender Issue Coverage category for her “Who tells the news?” story about the lack of women in top leadership positions at Central Massachusetts media outlets.

WBJ cartoonist Ramon Sandoval won Third Place in the Editorial Cartoon category for his A Thousand Words cartoon on the corporate profits of Saint Vincent Hospital’s parent company.

In the Better Newspaper contest, a total of 1,977 entries were submitted from 110 publications, according to Linda Conway, NENPA's executive director. A full list of the winners and judges' comments will be published in the future. The contest year covered articles published between Aug. 1, 2021 and July 31, 2022.