• 2010 winners press release
• Full list of 2010 contest winners
• 2010 award nominees

September 25, 2010
Religion Newswriters Association honors top religion reporting

DENVER (RNS) — Religion reporters from The Washington Post and The New York Times won top honors Saturday (Sept. 25) at the 2010 Religion Newswriters Association's annual awards competition.

The RNA also honored former New York Times religion reporter Gustav Niebuhr with its William A. Reed Lifetime Achievement Award. Niebuhr, who left the beat in 2001, now teaches at Syracuse University.

William Wan of The Washington Post won first-place in the Supple Religion Writer of the Year award, followed by Michael Paulson of the Boston Globe and Eric Gorski of The Associated Press.

Veteran religion reporter Laurie Goodstein won the reporting award for The New York Times, followed by the AP's Gorski, Peter Smith of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., and Rachel Zoll of the AP (honorable mention).

In the Cassels Religion Reporter of the Year contest for small newspapers, first place went to Melissa Burke of the York (Pa.) Daily Record, followed by Ron Cassie of The Frederick (Md.) News-Post and Amy Umble of The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va.

The Cornell Religion Reporter of the Year award for mid-sized newspapers went to Jenny Green of the Ottawa Citizen, followed by Peggy Fletcher Stack of The Salt Lake Tribune and Bob Smietana of The Tennessean in Nashville.

Awards of excellence in radio religion reporting went to Katie Davis and Laura Kwerel of Interfaith Voices, followed by freelancer Genevieve Oger, Capital Public Radio and Arun Venugopal of WNYC Radio (honorable mention). The PBS program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly swept all three television awards for work done by Kate Seelye, Kim Lawton and Deborah Potter.

The Schachern Award for Multimedia Reporting went to The Salt Lake Tribune, followed by Manya Brachear of The Chicago Tribune, The Courier-Journal in Louisville, and one honorable mention to Jenny Green of The Ottawa Citizen and a second honorable mention to the staff of The Wichita Eagle.

The Chandler Student Religion Reporter of the Year went to Evan Pondel of the University of Southern California, followed by Jeremy Blaney of Michigan State University, Tiffany Stanley of Harvard University, and Kate Shellnutt of Northwestern University (honorable mention).

© 2010 Religion News Service. This release may be reproduced as long as Religion News Service is credited.

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2010 RNA Contest winners

Links to stories given where available.

First place: Melissa Burke, York Daily Record

• A stroke took his voice, but he never lost faith
• Charity paid its leaders $2.5 million

Second place: Ron Cassie, The Frederick News-Post

• Catholic Church deems Reiki therapy "inappropriate"
• Episcopal churches struggle with gay and lesbian issues
• Churches and property taxes: Not an automatic exemption

Third place: Amy Umble, The Free Lance-Star

• Lifepoint church takes on pornography

First place: Evan Pondel, University of Southern California

• Why Israeli gays opt for US surrogate births
• Chef's fusion cuisine stirs confusion among Jews
• Entitlement Runs Deep in East Jerusalem

Second place: Jeremy Blaney, Michigan State University

• Air Force ROTC cadets learn to avoid cultural conflicts
• Michigan State students have new 'reflection room'
• You're a Muslim? There's an app for that

Third Place: Tiffany Stanley, Harvard University

• Democrats, progressives find unlikely ally in Benedict XVI
• Family seeks 'proper Christian burial' for famed explorer
• Did the Crusades get a bum rap?

Honorable mention: Kate Shellnutt, Northwestern University

• Jews go green as Rosh Hashanah marks planet's 'birthday'
• Redmoon Theater founder now uses puppets for peaceful life
• New churches: Chicago seen as a fertile field for congregations to branch out

First place: Jenny Green, The Ottawa Citizen

Second place: Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune

Third place: Bob Smietana, The Tennessean

First place: Katie Davis and Laura Kwerel, Interfaith Voices

• The Soundscapes of Faith

Second place: Genevieve Oger, freelancer

Third place: Capital Public Radio

Honorable mention: Arun Venugopal, WNYC Radio

First place: Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times

• U.S. Nuns Facing Vatican Scrutiny
• Even in Recession, Believers Invest in the Gospel of Getting Rich
• A Mother, a Sick Son and His Father, the Priest

Second place: Eric Gorski, The Associated Press

• Evangelical church opens doors fully to gays -- and learns the cost of being a renegade
• Muslims find new Ramadan fast partners: Christians
• Wait for sex ... and marriage? Evangelicals conflicted
• At a Catholic fish fry, a hunger for tradition

Third place: Peter Smith, The Courier-Journal

• Religion shaping mountain-top removal debate in Appalachia coal country

Honorable mention: Rachel Zoll, The Associated Press

• American Shias, a minority within the Muslim minority, confront hardliners in their community
• US Muslims: Backlash fear still builds each 9/11
• Internet Believers: Pastors Open Online Churches
• Good faith loans: Churches and their lenders suffering after boom-years borrowing
• Synagogues under stress as High Holy Days approach

• Tragic metamorphosis: Ethical debates turn personal for U. professor

Second place: Manya Brachear, Chicago Tribune

• A family of 10, surviving on faith
• Too thankful for despair
• Renovated Holy Name shines in debut mass

Third place: The Courier-Journal

• Struggling congregations look to change and grow
• Young Muslims after 9/11
• Religion shaping mountain-top removal debate in Appalachia coal country

Honorable mention: Jenny Green, The Ottawa Citizen

• Islam here and now

Honorable mention: The Wichita Eagle

• Soul-Searching on Facebook
• Sense of Sanctuary Lost As Church Attacks Spike
• Friars Trudge 300 Miles and Find Kindred Souls on the Way

Second place: Michael Paulson, The Boston Globe

• Complex Legacy of a Catholic
• Brushed by the Spirit
• A New Life for Father Field
• Faith and Good Works
• Remembering the Victims
  

Third place: Eric Gorski, The Associated Press

• Evangelical church opens doors fully to gays -- and learns the cost of being a renegade
• Muslims find new Ramadan fast partners: Christians
• Wait for sex ... and marriage? Evangelicals conflicted
• At a Catholic fish fry, a hunger for tradition

First place: Kate Seelye, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

• Islam and Modernity

Second place: Kim Lawton, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

• Mainline Protestants and Same-Sex Marriage

Third place: Deborah Potter, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

• Muslims in Germany

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• Issac Bailey, The (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Sun News
• Brett Buckner, The Anniston (Ala.) Star
• Melissa Nann Burke, York (Pa.) Daily Record
• Ron Cassie, Frederick (Md.) News-Post
• Baylie Evans, Wyoming Tribune Eagle
• Glenn Evans, Longview (Texas) News-Journal
• Sara Schilling, Tri-City (Wash.) Herald
• Tracie Simer, The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun
• Melanie Smith, The Decatur (Ala.) Daily
• Amy Umble, The Free-Lance Star (Fredericksburg, Va.)

• Jeremy Blaney, Michigan State University
• Catherine Cheney, Yale University
  
• Kaellen Hessel, Marquette University
• Emily Ponder, University of Missouri
• Evan Pondel, University of Southern California
• Kate Shellnutt, Northwestern University
  
• Courtney Shove, University of Missouri
• Tiffany Stanley, Harvard University
  
• Sanette Tanaka, Duke University
  
• Amanda Thompson, Gordon College

• Jim Carney, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal
• Richard Dujardin, The Providence (R.I.) Journal
• Doug Erickson, Wisconsin State Journal
• Jenny Green, Ottawa Citizen
• Mark Harper, Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal
• Mark Hunter, for work done at The (Baton Rouge, La.) Advocate
  
• Bronnie Kush, (Worcester, Mass.) Telegram & Gazette
• Adam Parker, The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier
• Bob Smietana, The Tennessean
• Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune

• Daniel Burke, Religion News Service
• Tim Funk, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
• Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times
• Eric Gorski, The Associated Press
• Abe Levy, San Antonio (Texas) Express-News
• Michael Paulson, The Boston Globe
• Peter Smith, The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal
• Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune
• David Van Biema, TIME Magazine
• Rachel Zoll, The Associated Press

• Adelle Banks, Religion News Service
• Michelle Bearden, The Tampa Tribune
• Manya Brachear, Chicago Tribune
• Eric Gorski, The Associated Press
• Nicole Neroulias, Religion News Service
• Michael Paulson, The Boston Globe
• Yonat Shimron, The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer
• Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• William Wan, The Washington Post
• Rachel Zoll, The Associated Press