Tampa Bay Newspapers took home 19 awards, including seven first-place plaques, in the Florida Press Association Weekly Newspaper Contest.
The awards were announced July 21 during the 2023 Florida Media Conference in Sarasota.
TBN’s staff won awards in numerous categories for writing, photography and design in Division A, which is reserved for the largest groups in the contest.
“I am so proud to work with such outstanding community journalists,” said Jay Rey, TBN’s publisher and president. “The judges took notice of how hard our entire team works each week to provide quality local coverage of events and topics that matter to our residents.”
Following is a list of the TBN winners.
First-place awards
Front Page Makeup: Chris George for a collection of front pages.
Portfolio Photography: Fred Bellet for photos he shot for the Suncoast News in Pasco County.
Sports Photo: Fred Bellet for a photo from a Pasco youth gymnastics competition.
Local Government Reporting: Chris George for his reporting on Largo’s new City Hall.
In-Depth Reporting (Non-Investigative): Jeff Rosenfield and Chris George for stories about the proposed Preserve project in Largo
Serious Column: Chris George for a column in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting.
Humorous Column: Chris George for a column about cockroaches.
Second-place awards
Front Page Makeup: Logan George for a collection of front pages.
Best Headline: Chris George for a collection of headlines he wrote.
Photo Series in One Issue: Fred Bellet for his photos from the Chasco Festival.
Spot News Photo: Carl DiOrio for a photo he took of a mother receiving a portrait of her son, a soldier who died in Afghanistan.
Community History: Cherie Danson Miller for her story about 90-plus-year-old siblings in Brooksville.
Arts, Entertainment & Review Reporting: Lee Clark Zumpe for his review on the documentary “Hello, Bookstore.”
Feature Story: Profile: Vincent Safuto for a story about a New Port Richey man who has spent decades collecting Beatles merchandise.
Humorous Column: Tom Germond for his column about anole lizards.
Third-place awards
Sports Feature Story: Dan Hirshberg for a profile on Hector Lopez, the first Black Triple-A manager.
Photo Series in One Issue: Fred Bellet for photos from the Renaissance Festival.
Special Issue, Section or Supplement: Logan George for Just for Women.
Serious Column: Chris Core for his column about famed journalist Roger Angell.
