Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Washington Post Entry Title: The 52 definitive rules of flying Entry Credit: Andrea Sachs, Natalie Compton, Katty Huertas, Gabe Hiatt, Amanda Finnegan Judge Comment: This story has everything a perfect piece of service journalism should: a compelling concept targeted to the audience, a captivating design with graphics and numbered points of entry, and unusual tips written engagingly with a touch of humor. Add to all that the clear pre-flight, flight and post-flight organization, multiple quizzes for engagement and tons of links to other articles with yet more advice. It’s spot on.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: christopher reynolds Entry Title: Here are California’s 10 most coveted state campgrounds, with tips on how to book them Entry Credit: christopher reynolds, Judge Comment: At the beginning of the year, California changed its rules on state campgrounds. This well-reported story outlines the new rules and how they will affect travelers’ plans pertaining to reservations. It also includes details on the 10 most coveted campgrounds in the Golden State. As the viewer reaches each of the 10 listings, the map on the right of the screen zeros in on the spot, and there’s a photo, an expandable description and all the contact information you’d need.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: William J McGee Entry Title: "Refuting the Myths Defending the JetBlue-Spirit Merger" Entry Credit: William J McGee Judge Comment: William J. McGee crafts a service piece that’s part business story, part travel story as he explains the against-all-odds win of the Department of Justice in a suit to prevent an airline merger and its potential implications years down the road. Constructed around five myths, the story is anchored in reportage and carries stout authority with McGee’s voice and professional credentials. He aimed to dispel misleading or false information that immediately followed the ruling and did so with impressive statistics and sources.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Jennifer Murphy Entry Title: All the Campgrounds Are Booked. How Can I Find a Site? Entry Credit: Jen Murphy Judge Comment: Outside’s Travel Advice section hit a home run with this service story. It’s centered on a report that 2022 was the hardest year yet for people to nab campsites, and it helps readers (whether long-time campers or those 15.5 million who started camping since COVID) navigate their way to their best camping trip yet. The article is filled with advice from experts, such as authors, podcast cohosts, website creators and app editors, and provides dozens of links to websites and tools to make your task easier. It concludes with a curated cheat sheet of highly rated campgrounds more likely to have openings.
