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Shortly after a devastating fire last fall, the Ennis family stands in what used to be their home. “I felt like I was at the scene experiencing this family’s emotions,” a judge of the Virginia Press Association’s annual awards competition wrote, giving photos from the scene a Best in Show honor.
The Rappahannock News received 29 individual awards, including 14 first places, plus three top honors, in the Virginia Press Association’s annual competition for excellence in news and advertising.
At its annual conference near Richmond Saturday evening, the press association announced this year’s winners, including two top Best In Show awards. For the second year in a row, the Rappahannock News also won the “News Sweepstakes,” the top news award among newspapers of its size.
Much of the honored work was produced in partnership with Foothills Forum, a local nonprofit which supports nonpartisan research and reporting about Rappahannock County issues. Collaborations with Foothills have now received Best In Show awards for seven consecutive years.
Contributing photographer Luke Christopher received Best In Show in the photography category for his images of the Ennis family in the wake of losing their home in a devastating fire. “I felt like I was at the scene experiencing this family’s emotions,” a judge wrote.
Christopher, Roger Piantadosi, Bob Hurley, Julia Shanahan and Robert Stevens won a Best In Show in the digital category for a story, photos and video of the Amissville and its annual carnival.
Amissville Carnival and Parade, 2022
Produced by Foothills Forum and Rappahannock News. Video and Photography by Luke Christopher; Drone Footage by Robert Stephens; Editing and Music by Roger Piantadosi.
Ranging from broadband to birds to bubbles, judges recognized a variety of stories, photos, graphics and videos produced during 2022. Foothills contributor Hurley won a first place for his feature stories about Amissville, bow hunting and kestrels. Also among the other first-place honors: Christopher’s photo of child delighting in a foam bath during the annual July 4 celebration and Tim Carrington and Laura Stanton’s graphics showing how the county’s then-proposed universal broadband agreement would work.
Rappahannock News Editor Ben Peters received a first place award for his coverage of education, and reporter Julia Shanahan received a first place for stories about criminal justice and emergency services.
Randy Rieland, a veteran Foothills reporter, received a second-place award for his coverage of health and mental wellness issues in a category also entered by the state’s largest news organizations.
Judges recognized a selection of the paper’s front page design for “striking use of photo, art and design working together.”
Here is a complete list of the paper’s awards:
Best In Show
Non-Daily Photography: Luke Christopher for “A Total Loss”
Non-Daily Digital: Amissville’s Carnival Returns
Sweepstakes
News Sweepstakes: The newspaper’s journalism awards collectively earned it this prize for accumulating the most points in its circulation category (based on a point system for first, second and third place awards).
First Place
Multimedia Report: “Amissville’s Carnival Returns” by Luke Christopher, Roger Piantadosi, Robert Stevens, Julia Shanahan, Bob Hurley
Slideshow or Gallery: “SperryFest 2022, in photos” by Luke Christopher
Video: “When Smaller is Better: 8-Man Football Turned Out to be a Winner” by Luke Christopher, Roger Piantadosi, Randy Rieland, Ben Peters, Andy Alexander, Bud Meyer
When Smaller Is Better
A switch this year to eight-man football by Rappahannock County High School — Northern Virginia’s smallest school division, and one of the smallest in the state — turned out to be a big win for the team, the school and the community at large.
Informational Graphics: The Broadband Mosaic by Laura Stanton, Tim Carrington
Combination Picture and Story: Fire devastates Ennis family’s home by Luke Christopher, Julia Shanahan, Dennis Brack
Front Page: A collection of front pages by Dennis Brack with imagery by Luke Christopher
Bubbles before fireworks
Ellis Childress enjoys the foam bath at Ben Venue as Rappahannock’s annual 4th of July Celebration returned in 2022 after a two year absence.
Pictorial Photo: “Bubbles Before Fireworks” by Luke Christopher
Picture Story or Essay: “A total loss” by Luke Christopher
Education Writing: A collection of stories by Ben Peters
Feature Writing Portfolio: A collection of stories by Bob Hurley
Feature Story Writing: “Amissville: A village without a main street” by Bob Hurley
Feature Profile Writing: “Jules Coon made a beautiful difference” by Daphne Hutchinson
General News Writing: Coverage of broadband by Julia Shanahan, Tim Carrington, Ben Peters
Public Safety Writing: A collection of stories by Julia Shanahan
Second Place
“Cancer is Messy”
A look at the “Cancer is Messy” event, organized to honor cancer survivors and their families, including two young students at the county’s elementary school, Anne Genho and Farrah Gates.
Video: “Cancer Is Messy” by Randy Rieland, Luke Christopher, Cliff Hackel
Informational Graphics: “About Amissville” by Laura Stanton, Bob Hurley
Combination Picture and Story: “Amissville: A village without a main street” by Bob Hurley, Luke Christopher, Laura Stanton, Dennis Brack, Andy Alexander, Bud Meyer
Special Sections: SperryFest! 2022 by Dennis Brack, Daphne Hutchinson
Health-Science and Environmental Writing: Stories by Randy Rieland
Personality or Portrait Photo: “Cattle Wrangler” by Luke Christopher
Long Mountain Sunset
Pictorial Photo: “Long Mountain Sunset” by Luke Christopher
Feature Writing Portfolio: A collection of stories by Julia Shanahan
Feature Story Writing: “Dark sky protectors worry as development marches west” by Christopher Connell
Feature Profile Writing: “Pondering Robin Purnell” by Tim Carrington
Government Writing: A collection of stories by Ben Peters
Health-Science and Environmental Writing: Coverage of health and mental wellness issues affecting Rappahannock by Randy Rieland
Informational Graphics: “Tracking Kestrels Among Us” by Laura Stanton, Bob Hurley
Slick Publications: The Guide to Rappahannock by Dennis Brack, Audra Dickey, Luke Christopher, Ben Peters, Jay Ford, Tom Spargur
Third Place
Butterfly in Blue
Pictorial Photo: “Butterfly in Blue” by Luke Christopher
Feature Story Writing: “Stealthy and Sporty” by Bob Hurley
Rappahannock News sister paper InsideNoVa/Prince William won the press association’s top news prize among the state’s largest weekly newspapers, as well as Best In Show for news presentation, in addition to 30 other news and advertising honors. Fellow sister publications the Culpeper Times, Ashburn Magazine and FauquierNow also received multiple awards.
More details on all the winners statewide are available on the VPA’s website.
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