Past Award Winners

First-Person Essay
Winner: Dead Weight, by Claire O’Brien, in Hippocampus Magazine
https://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2020/11/dead-weight-by-claire-obrien/
 
Claire O’Brien’s deft slice-of-life essay gives readers a peek into a fascinating and difficult job: death investigator. It’s filled with human insight and just the right details; it moves at a fast pace through what could feel like tangents in less capable hands, but blends together into a seamless narrative here about suicide and its aftermath. This piece stays with readers and leaves us wanting the rest of the story, so it’s great to learn that it’s part of a larger project to come.
 
Honorable Mention: Sight and Insight, by Liane Kupferberg Carter, in Longreads
https://longreads.com/2020/02/21/sight-and-insight/
 
Liane Kupferberg Carter has strabismus, also known as a lazy eye. Her essay flows through her life and depicts what living with this issue has been like: difficult, when she’s been bullied by both kids and adults; full of love, when she meets her husband and builds a life with him; and insightful, as the title states. Her writing covers her emotions, her pain, her love, and what she learns from it. To find out her insight, be sure to read it—the essay is worth it.
 
Opinion/Op-Ed
Winner: Why It’s Important to Push Back on ‘Plandemic’—And How to Do It, by Tara Haelle, in Forbes.com 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2020/05/08/why-its-important-to-push-back-on-plandemic-and-how-to-do-it/?sh=76f01a5a5fa3
 
Tara Haelle’s deep dive into the big issue of coronavirus disinformation is comprehensive and compelling, a thoughtful guide for thinking people whose Facebook friends got suckered in. It’s a smart piece that touches on a fresh, new concept and terminology that is a pervasive part of our lives. Like any stellar op-ed, it ticks the “So What?” and “Why Should I Care?” boxes in a deft and engaging way.
 
Reported Essay
Winner: Your ‘Surge Capacity’ is Depleted—It’s Why You Feel Awful, by Tara Haelle, in Elemental
https://elemental.medium.com/your-surge-capacity-is-depleted-it-s-why-you-feel-awful-de285d542f4c
 
The pandemic was personal, and Tara Haelle elevated the reported essay form by illuminating deeper currents of human resilience and response to what most of us encountered for the first time. Strong reporting married a transparent and compassionate point of view to propel this reported essay to the top spot as the clear winner.
 
Profile
Winner: Liminal Spaces, by Zachary Petit, in Writer’s Digest
https://www.scribd.com/article/482875289/Liminal-Spaces
 
Zachary Petit’s profile of Erik Larson grabs the reader with an engaging lede. The whole article is organized around a single question that pulls you through as he reaches for answers. Petit uses a style that mirrors Erik Larson’s own—thorough and vivid, with precise, strong language—tightly woven and deliberately written. The piece is immersive and evocative: You feel like you’re right there with Larson.
 
Honorable Mention: This Bird Survived Because She Never Quit, by John Moir, in Audubon Magazine
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2020/this-bird-lives-because-she-never-quit
 
John Moir brings his subject sympathetically to life from the opening paragraph. The story is deeply researched and developed, with authoritative sources and revealing, telling details. We have an animated and absorbing portrait of a modest yet dedicated scientist still contributing to her profession at age 90.
 
Lifestyle
Winner: The Case of the Autographed Corpse, by Jack El-Hai, for Smithsonian Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/case-autographed-corpse-180976229/
 
Jack El-Hai’s story of how the author of the Perry Mason series came to the defense of an Apache shaman wrongfully convicted of murder is gripping, beautifully researched and written, unfolding like the true crime mysteries we love. One jurist said, “I liked it because it combines history with prevalent issues like race, culture and social justice.” Jack’s subject would make a great screen play or documentary.
 
Travel
Winner: Sunrise Kingdom, by Meg Lukens Noonan, in Coastal Living
https://s3.amazonaws.com/external_clips/3606704/Coastal_Living_Summer_Travel_2020_Sunrise_Kingdom_1__52e4946d-ccb3-4138-8de8-ccf283b59fe4_%281%29.pdf?1604933492
 
Meg Lukens Noonan takes a commonplace destination—the state of Rhode Island—and turns it into a magical land, where rabbits stand at attention and the sea air lends flavor to the stuffed clams. She captivates her readers by weaving the tone of an obscure Wes Anderson film into her visit to the southern New England shore, blending firsthand experience, personal profiles, and local lore to reveal the mystique of the seaside culture.
 
Social Change
Winner: What are U.S. Airlines Missing? Women Pilots, by Arielle Emmett, in Air & Space
https://www.airspacemag.com/airspacemag/what-are-us-airlines-missing-women-180975608/
 
Arielle Emmett’s article spoke most directly to the name of the category: social change. By profiling a group of advocates working within the aviation industry to improve its level of diversity, this article is informative but may also be a catalyst for accelerating this process. 
 
Honorable Mention: The Next Generation of the French Far Right, by Rebecca Nathanson, in VICE World News
https://www.vice.com/en/article/935xwe/the-next-generation-of-the-french-far-right
 
This piece offers a close-up view of the young people in France who are affiliating with the radical right-wing parties. The direct quotes from, and the vivid descriptions of, the movement’s up-and-coming leaders brought home the reality of the growing problem of political extremism in France. 
 
Honorable Mention: The Sins of the Father, by Michaela Haas, in Medium
https://aninjusticemag.com/the-sins-of-the-father-c3a23b5faa0f#060a-221c6629347a
 
A chilling account of an unregulated, unethical (and very creepy) sperm bank in Atlanta. The intimacy reflected in the personal stories of the subjects draws attention to a social phenomenon sorely in need of reform. 
 
Health
Winner: Adult Women Struggle With Eating Disorders, Too. Here’s Why Treatment Looks Different, by Beth Howard, in Prevention
https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a34634228/eating-disorders-older-women/
 
Beth Howard explores an infrequently discussed fact: Eating disorders are surprisingly common among women in middle age. Howard’s reporting includes the perspectives of experts, delves into research on the topic, and shares the thoughts of women recovering from eating disorders. When considered in the context of so many women losing work, becoming responsible for at-home school, and all the other stresses of 2020, Howard’s piece is particularly interesting and poignant. 
 
Excellence in Reporting
Winner: Climate Change Turns the Tide on Waterfront Living, by Jim Morrison, in The Washington Post Magazine
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2020/04/13/after-decades-waterfront-living-climate-change-is-forcing-communities-plan-their-retreat-coasts/?arc404=true
 
Jim Morrison’s important story highlights how discussions on the climate problem of rising tides must go beyond resilience to include retreat—and details all the implications for communities, government budgets and homeowners’ lives from pulling back from the waterfront. Morrison writes a compelling narrative on an issue many in U.S. coastal communities may eventually face, which lingers with readers long after.
 
Honorable Mention: When Can We Really Rest? by Nadja Drost, in The California Sunday Magazine
https://story.californiasunday.com/darien-gap-migration
 
Nadja Drost provides an unsettling glimpse into how migrants are crossing the dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama—thousands of miles of mountainous rainforest and marshland filled with impassable terrain, robbers, rotting corpses, and the undying hope for a better life in the United States. The strength of the article is her personal experience with a group of migrants thrown together by fate to vividly render their treacherous journey.
 
Trade
Winner: How Manipulating Rodent Memories Can Elucidate Neurological Function, by Amber Dance, in TheScientist 
https://www.the-scientist.com/features/how-manipulating-rodent-memories-can-elucidate-neurological-function-67449 
 
This is a stunner of a feature, expertly crafted. Amber Dance draws the reader in with excellent storytelling while simultaneously educating them, explaining some complex science in language simple enough for lay people to understand. While a specialized topic, we found it to be an accessible, enlightening and fascinating read.

Fitness & Sports
Winner: The Surprising Role Sports Played in Women’s Suffrage, by Haley Shapley, in Teen Vogue
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/womens-suffrage-sports-history

Haley Shapley’s well-researched and well-written story is rich with details that brought the characters to life—a potentially difficult task, given that the events are long past and the principals now deceased. It is particularly timely, given the current intertwining of athletics (both male and female) and activism.
 
Content B2C
Winner: Body Composting Is the Newest Sustainable Death Practice, by Kelly McSweeney, in Now. by Northrop Grumman
https://now.northropgrumman.com/body-composting-is-the-newest-sustainable-death-practice/
 
Kelly McSweeney has produced a master work in the Business-to-Consumer category. Taking the topic of body composting, which could have been uninteresting, unpleasant or morbid in lesser hands, she creates a compelling case for considering what we want to happen to our bodies when we die. In addition to educating us about an innovative alternative to burial or cremation, she gets us thinking in new ways about how the dissolution of our own bodies affects the environment after we’re gone, and how the way we think about death can lead us to an inspiring appreciation of the circle of life.
 
Long-Form
Winner: A Legacy of Endless Limbo, by Lauren Martin, in Temporary 
https://temporary.kaldorcentre.net/introduction 
 
Lauren Martin’s beautifully woven narrative—one that paints individual portraits of “faceless people”—maintains a delicate balance with her in-depth exploration of the multiple layers of politics behind the immigration crisis, the public fear and ultimately, the endless state of limbo. Martin humanizes the experiences of her subjects, defying readers’ assumptions. The story reached great dimensions and depth in physical effort, that sense of limbo, hope breaking through fear. We’re gripped by Martin’s expertise in allowing us to feel the crisis. From there, we try to grasp the “why.”
 
Honorable Mention: The Remote Workforce, by Dawn Papandrea, in Monster
https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/workforce-management/the-remote-workforce-from-recruitment-to-retention/
 
Dawn Papandrea’s data-driven report sheds light on what may occur when the pandemic’s “infinite present” comes to a close, and delves into the future of work. Papandrea offers a fresh take on a subject that has been widely debated in the past 12 months. The use of specific company data made for a compelling comparative analysis on the trends that are likely our future.
 
Service (Book)
Winner: Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living, by Kris Bordessa
https://bookshop.org/books/attainable-sustainable-the-lost-art-of-self-reliant-living/9781426220548
 
In clear, down-to-earth language, Kris Bordessa delivers a timely and beautiful book that offers a lifetime of guidance on how to be more self-sufficient for reasons of health, satisfaction and happiness. Attainable Sustainable offers a solid foundation for practicing the necessary skills and crafts or just the ability to dabble among dozens of how-to topics. The book’s presentation and photographs are gorgeous, thanks to publisher National Geographic, but Attainable Sustainable is far more than a pretty facade. It’s practical and sensible, which is exactly what a stellar service book should be.
 
Children (Book)
Winner: Sea Otters, A Survival Story, by Isabelle Groc
https://bookshop.org/books/sea-otters-a-survival-story/9781459817371
 
This engaging and informative book for middle grade readers details sea otters’ lives and their impact on the ecosystem and makes the reader care about these creatures and their future. Sidebars about scientists in the field provide more information about the science of the ecosystem and may serve to encourage future marine scientists.
 
Honorable Mention: Strange Sea Creatures, by Erich Hoyt
https://uk.bookshop.org/books/strange-sea-creatures/9780228102977
 
Erich Hoyt engages his readers with fascinating, well-researched facts about sea creatures of all sizes, from the surface to the sea bottom and everywhere in between. Each entry is a writing gem, and the stunning photography is a welcome bonus.
 
How-To
Winner: Talking to Kids about Race, by Heather Greenwood Davis, in National Geographic
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/article/talking-about-race
 
This story is not only an important topic, but timely, well-reported and beautifully and sensitively written, including specific examples and serviceable how-to advice for parents.
 
Food & Drink
Winner: Asafoetida’s Lingering Legacy Goes Beyond Aroma, by Vidya Balachander, in Whetstone Magazine
https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/journal/asafoetidas-lingering-legacy-goes-beyond-aroma
 
This is a beautifully written piece exploring the spice. The writer strikes an intriguing balance between her personal experience and history, anthropology and politics. A fantastic piece combining in-depth research and skillful writing. 
 
Technology
Winner: Collision, by Bhavya Dore, in FiftyTwo
https://fiftytwo.in/story/collision/

Bhavya Dore has skillfully crafted a compelling narrative that kept judges engaged from beginning to end. Dore incorporates highly technical information into the story line without
dimming the impact of the primary theme—a breakdown in communications that triggered the airliner crash. Dore clearly illustrated the complications of different spoken languages with technology—and how technology can help overcome those complications.

Business
Winner: Get Rich Selling Used Fashion Online—or Cry Trying, by Alden Wicker, in Wired
https://www.wired.com/story/get-rich-selling-used-fashion-online-or-cry-trying/
 
With an engaging anecdotal lede, strong nut graf and nice kicker, this story is well-written with in-depth reporting. Using multiple sources, the story is full of facts and stats about Poshmark and its evolution while also weaving in the experiences of a Poshmark reseller.
 
Blog Post
Winner: Framed: Practicing Art, Love, and Creativity in My Home, by Janice Lynch Schuster
https://janicelynchschuster.com/framed-practicing-art-creativity-and-love-in-my-home/
 
“To me, every canvas is a novel,” writes Janice Lynch Schuster, who skillfully weaves vivid stories of how family members—especially her mother and grandmother—influenced her early foray into painting and sculpture, thereby creating a vibrant picture of the art on Schuster’s walls at home and in her heart.
 
Honorable Mention: Treading Between Coronavirus Worlds, by Dulce Zamora
https://windsweptwildflower.com/2020/03/22/treading-between-coronavirus-worlds/#more-1221
 
At the onset of the pandemic, Dulce Zamora and her family were “drowning in an ocean of coronavirus info” as American expats in Singapore. She elevates her riveting account of the experience with imagery and ultimately—despite the “waves of chaos”—hope.
 
Science
Winner: The Butterfly and the Blaze, by Matthew LaPlante and Jacob Stuivenvolt Allen, in Eugene Weekly
https://eugeneweekly.com/2020/12/10/the-butterfly-and-the-blaze/
 
This story is so skillfully put together, with a compelling narrative that conveys a complicated scientific topic that has significant implications as we move deeper into the climate crisis. 
 
The Donald Robinson Memorial Award for Investigative Journalism
Winner: “It’s a national tragedy”: What a Devastating Covid-19 Outbreak at a California Slaughterhouse Reveals About the Federal Government’s Failed Pandemic Response, by Nick Roberts and Rosa Amanda Tuiran, in The Counter
https://thecounter.org/covid-19-outbreak-meatpacking-safety-osha-california/
 
More than a gotcha story about a single meatpacking plant, this piece takes a broader look at how the system to protect workers—in meatpacking plants or otherwise—is broken. It succeeds by painting a nuanced picture, demonstrating how both the company and the government fell short.  
 
The Arlenes: Articles That Make a Difference
Winner: We Need to Talk About What Coronavirus Recoveries Look Like, by Fiona Lowenstein, in The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/opinion/coronavirus-recovery.html
 
Fiona Lowenstein, a 26-year-old freelance writer and COVID-survivor, wrote this op-ed about the long-term implications of the novel virus, which inspired the formation of one of the first COVID-patient support groups, now 18,000 members strong. Members formed an internationally recognized patient-led research group that meets regularly with the CDC and has helped author its website pages on long-term COVID effects. They have testified to the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health and co-authored a letter to Congress that resulted in an allocation of $1.15 billion in funding for NIH research into long-term COVID effects. Ed Yong, influential health and science reporter for The Atlantic, wrote that the article had “seismic impact.”
 
General Nonfiction (Book)
Winner: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor
https://bookshop.org/books/breath-the-new-science-of-a-lost-art/9780735213616 
 
The masterful combination of storytelling and research, written in a consistently readable style, whether when relating individuals’ stories or explaining scientists’ work, draws the reader into the author’s own ten-year journey to restorative breathing. James Nestor, while going through a rough patch, followed the recommendation of his doctor to attend a class on Sudarshan Kriya, a rhythmic breathing technique invented by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the 1980s. Any initial skeptical response to the narrative turns into thinking about how to apply this knowledge about how to breathe as our ancestors did.
 
Memoir/Autobiography
Winner: Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir, by Natasha Trethewey
https://bookshop.org/books/memorial-drive-a-daughter-s-memoir-9780062248589/9780062248572 
 
A haunting and compelling story, beautifully written, with a poet’s attention to words. From the author’s intimate, personal voice we are made to feel all that she experiences and journey with her through pain, loss, grief and resilience.
 
Biography
Winner: The Unanswered Letter: One Holocaust Family’s Desperate Plea for Help, by Faris Cassell
https://bookshop.org/books/the-unanswered-letter-one-holocaust-family-s-desperate-plea-for-help/9781684510177 

This beautifully written book, the product of many years of research, skillfully combines history and biography, using the stories of particular individuals to illuminate a tragic and pivotal era of history in Germany, Austria and the United States. In addition to penetrating insights into deep moral and emotional questions, it offers new information on an aspect of Holocaust history in both Europe and the United States that has received little attention and may surprise many Americans. Beyond all that, it is a gripping read.

2021 Awards Categories

AWARDS OPEN TO ALL

ARTICLES

The Arlenes: Articles That Make a Difference

ASJA member Howard Eisenberg established the Arlene Eisenberg Memorial Fund to honor his late wife, the author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting and other bestselling books that made a difference in the lives of mothers worldwide. Income generated by the fund allows ASJA to give monetary awards to winners of Arlenes, which are awarded annually for articles and once every three years for books. The winning book or freelance article must have “made a difference” by inspiring positive action within a locale or community; society; or the world. In the past, the award has been given for articles or books that inspired readers to do such things as lobby for legislation or form an advocacy group. Past winners have also stirred officials to launch an investigation, correct an injustice, or remove a hazard.

The Arlene Article Award is presented annually for an article published within the prior two years. For 2021, eligible articles must have been published in 2019 or 2020.

To be considered for an Arlene, articles MUST be:

• Published in the United States within the stated period
• Freelance written
• Accompanied by documentation supporting the positive impact of the book or article. This may include evidence of media coverage, testimonials, or other public recognition.

The Donald Robinson Memorial Award for Investigative Journalism

This award honors ASJA’s third president, a noted investigative writer. Articles entered should demonstrate outstanding writing and organization plus new or hitherto unrevealed research. Or, if the topic frequently gets attention, the article should show it in a new light.

The work of any writer may be nominated so long as it is freelance-written and published or released in the United States during the eligibility period. (Staff-written work does not qualify.)

If the work was supported by a grant or payment from a foundation or other organization, or if the author was otherwise aided (such as in data collection or statistical analysis), we ask that this be noted at the time of submission, along with the time period for any such support. This is solely for the purpose of establishing that the work was freelance-written.

Outstanding Article Awards

These awards honor writers whose articles, produced on a freelance basis, have demonstrated excellence in writing, research, and clarity of presentation.

Categories:

• Blog Post, Personal: This is intended for posts, or a collection of no more than three related posts on the same topic, published on personal blogs. [Articles appearing on third-party blogs should be entered in Opinion/Op-Ed or Reported Essays.]
• Business, including Marketing: This category is for any business-related article.
• Excellence in Reporting (formerly called “Reporting on a Significant Topic”): Consideration will be given to the relevance and universality of the topic, as well as overall excellence.
• First-Person Essays: The category includes personal essays that are entirely based on personal experiences, reflections, or observations. [Reported personal essays have their own category, Reported Essays.]
• Fitness & Sports: This includes pieces on running, fitness, and any sport or specific sporting event. Profiles may be entered here or in “Profiles,” but not both.
• Food & Drink: This includes articles about food; wine; beer; a restaurant or restaurants; a vineyard; cooks; and the like.
• Health: Any piece on a health topic is eligible, no matter where published.
• How-To (formerly called “Service”): These may include advice, self-help, or how to do something.
• Lifestyle: Articles on matters of culture; style; leisure and home pursuits (including decorating and companion animals); art and music criticism; and reviews.
• Opinion/Op-Eds: This category may include blog posts published by third parties. In addition to the writer’s opinion, entries must include reported evidence/research.
• Profiles: This category includes all profiles, no matter where published. Formerly, members entered profiles appearing in trade journals in the “Trade” category.
• Reported Essays: This category is for personal essays that incorporate research supporting the topic.
• Science: Articles on any science subject may be entered.
• Social Change: Articles or essays that address current social change or injustice in today’s turbulent climate may be entered.
• Technology: Articles on any tech subject may be entered.
• Trade: This category includes pieces that appeared in a specialized industry or professional publication intended for members or those who work in a specific field.
• Travel: Any narrative travel article is eligible.

Outstanding Book Awards

These awards are for nonfiction books written by independent (not staff) writers that are deemed significant, exceptionally well-researched, and skillfully written.

Books must have published in the United States during calendar year 2020. Entries may be written by an individual author or may be collaborative works. Self-published books, eBooks, and traditionally published books may be nominated.

The categories:

• Biography/History
• Children/Young Adult Nonfiction
• General Nonfiction
• Memoir/Autobiography
• Service/Self-help

Please note: Only PDF or eBook submissions will be accepted; do not send physical books.

Outstanding Content Awards

These awards honor writers whose articles, produced on a freelance basis for an organization -- a business, nonprofit, hospital, university, or association -- have demonstrated excellence in writing, research, and clarity of presentation.

• B2B Blog or Article: This category includes blogs and articles published in either print or online, written for B2B (Business-to-Business) companies. Only stories that are not focused on products or services will be considered. Entries for any size company or industry are welcome.
• B2C Blog or Article: This category includes blogs and articles published in either print or online, written for B2C (Business-to-Consumer) companies. Only stories that are not focused on products or services will be considered. Entries for any size company or industry are welcome.             
• Long-Form Content: This category includes long-form content published in either print or online, written for either B2B or B2C companies. Only stories that are not focused on products or services will be considered. Accepted formats include whitepapers, eBooks, or reports.

AWARDS OPEN TO ASJA MEMBERS ONLY

June Roth Memorial Awards for Outstanding Medical Article and for Medical Book

The June Roth Memorial Fund was established by her late husband to honor our 31st president, a well-known medical writer. Income generated by the fund provides monetary awards to ASJA members whose articles or books represent exceptional achievement in health and medical writing. The June Roth Article and Book Awards are offered every year.

For 2021, eligible articles must have been published in 2020.

Nomination Procedures for Other ASJA Awards

ASJA Founders Award for Career Achievement
ASJA Extraordinary Service Award
Robert C. Anderson Award
Conscience in Media Award
Open Book Award

To nominate someone for any of these awards, complete the online form HERE. There is no fee. *Please note: this form only pertains to the five awards listed above, and is not related to the ASJA Annual Awards Program.*