Around Town
NewCanaanite.com Wins 7 ‘Excellence in Journalism’ Awards
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Local news website NewCanaanite.com won seven “Excellence in Journalism” awards from the Connecticut Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Woodbridge-based organization announced last week. The awards, for work published in 2023 by columnist Laura Ault, sportswriter Donovan West and editor Michael Dinan, covered a wide range of categories within the hyperlocal space:
Laura Ault
General Column, 2nd place — Who Knew? And Then, There Was Pizza
Humorous Column, 2nd place — Who Knew: A Beginner’s Guide to Winged New Canaan
Donovan West
Sports Feature, 1st place — ‘A Culture of Belonging and Hard Work’: NCHS Girls Cross-Country Wins Another State Championship
Sports Feature, 2nd place — ‘I Feel Very Blessed’: NCHS ‘16 Grad Lucas Niang Wins Super Bowl with KC Chiefs
Michael Dinan
Feature Story, 1st place — ‘It Was Supposed To Be You’: NCHS Grad Becomes Mom to ‘Safe Haven’ Baby
Editorial, 1st place — ‘Checks and Balances’ at Town Hall
Podcasting, 1st place — Podcast: Moving the 1913 Library Building
More than 50 Connecticut publications and broadcast stations submitted more than 700 entries across five divisions in 30-plus categories, according to the SPJ.
“The contest supports the mission of CTSPJ as our biggest fundraiser,” SPJ Treasurer and Contest Committee Chair Martha Shanahan said in a June 28 press release. “Thanks to the entry fees, we give out thousands of dollars in scholarships to journalism students in or from Connecticut each year, and support other efforts such as the Legal Defense Fund, CCFOI and CFOG.”
A New Canaan resident, Ault is a writer, creative director and creator of/sole contributor to the monthly “Who Knew?” column on the New Canaanite.
