Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Cedar Rapids - The Gazette Entry Title: Gazette Coverage of Agriculture Entry Credit: The Gazette Judge Comment: Being a proud Midwesterner, this package showed a range of straight-forward old-fashioned reporting on common-sensical, timely topics that nudges one's inner activist to wake up and scream pay attention. For someone who may think agriculture is not on their radar, this series of articles, makes them think twice to ask more questions, demand more accessibility, transparency and data recording to make sure our environment/food/water is safe.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Des Moines - Des Moines Register Entry Title: 1. Nutrient reduction plan 2. Proposition 12 impact 3. Green hydrogen 4. Bird flu 5. Carbon capture pipelines Entry Credit: Donnelle Eller Judge Comment: In a time when the pandemic is still the squeaky wheel getting grease, the Register does a good job keeping tabs on progress on ongoing concerns, processes, new developments and plans. In doing so, the staff hasn't gotten away from showing the humanity in policy/data-centered stories. Even when one would think there should be a disconnect from middle-America to the West Coast, staffers enlighten and educate on how everything is connected. Good job.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Des Moines - Iowa Capital Dispatch Entry Title: Agriculture and puppy mills Entry Credit: Jared Strong, Clark Kauffman Judge Comment: While Flint, Mich. has become the poster-child for water contamination, reading the Nichols' piece was eye-opening. The painstaking reporting that must have entailed is notable. And then you add the Grain Indemnity Fund and puppy mills research and its evident reporters Kauffman and Strong have follow through that is a service to the readership in Iowa.
