2021
Sun wins five statewide awards
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The Anna Maria Island Sun has earned five awards in the Florida Press Club’s 2021 Excellence in Journalism Competition at a virtual ceremony on Jan. 22.
Political cartoonist Steve Borggren won first and second place in the Editorial Cartooning category for cartoons depicting the environmental fallout from the dumping of wastewater at Piney Point into Tampa Bay and the first day of school for Anna Maria Elementary School children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Sun’s 20th-anniversary issue on Dec. 30, 2020 won second place in the “Special Sections” category, highlighting stories including the demolition of the iconic pier at Manatee Beach, over-development on the Island, environmental disasters such as red tide, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Piney Point, two murders, a hurricane, a treehouse built illegally on the beach and the pandemic.
Cindy Lane won second place in the “That is So… Florida” category for a 20th-anniversary issue story compiling the quirky things that have happened on Anna Maria Island over the years, such as a mannequin being “kidnapped,” beheaded and left on the beach and Bradenton Beach mayoral candidates deciding a tie race by cutting playing cards.
The Sun’s website, amisun.com, won second place in the “Affiliated News Site” category. The site offers readers breaking news, updates on stories in between weekly print editions, more in-depth coverage of some complex stories, photo galleries of Island events, archives of past editions and easy access to beach reports and other subjects of local interest.
Sun earns three statewide awards
The Anna Maria Island Sun has earned three awards in the 2021 Florida Press Association Weekly Newspaper Contest.
Steve Borggren earned first place in the Original Local Editorial Cartoon category for “I miss red tide.” Judges praised its originality on a “broad topic all cartoonists are drawing.”
The Sun earned second place in Website Excellence for amisun.com. Judges called it “A great array of news well displayed.”Eric Nalpas earned second place in the Reader-Generated Photo category. Judges asked, “Does Eric want a job?”
Awards were announced at the Florida Media Conference in July in Sarasota.
2020
Four Sun staffers win 12 state awards
Four Anna Maria Island Sun staff members have won 12 awards in the Florida Press Club’s 2019 Excellence in Journalism Competition.
Political cartoonist Steve Borggren swept the Editorial Cartooning category, earning 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards.
Outdoors columnist Rusty Chinnis earned 3rd place in the Environmental News category for “Elephant in the Bay,” about water quality in Sarasota Bay, and 3rd place in the Light Features category for “We’ll see,” about allowing for flexibility in plans for a fishing trip.
Digital Editor Cindy Lane won 2nd place in the Online Multimedia Package category for “Pool, beach lifeguards train together,” which included a video and photo gallery with the online story.
Lane won 2nd place in the Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting for “County moves to regulate horses in bay,” a series on a move to ban rental horse businesses from Palma Sola Bay, and 3rd place in the “That is So …Florida” category for “Florida flotsam washes up on European beaches,” a story about four plastic cups from the Anna Maria Island Beach Café that were found in England, France, Portugal and the Azores.
Reporter Kristin Swain won 1st place in the Light Features category for “Sculpture illustrates local trash problem,” a story about a sculpture called “Trash the Turtle” by artist Wendell Graham, created from trash collected by Longboat Key Turtle Watch.
Swain also won 2nd place in the Light Features category for “Pups and owners celebrate dog park opening,” and both 2nd and 3rd place in the Community News category for “Problems plague Spring Lake residents” and “Heron nest halts construction.”
Sun earns three press awards
The Anna Maria Island Sun won three awards in the Florida Press Association’s 2020 weekly Newspaper Contest on July 31.
First place in the Outdoor and Recreation category was awarded to Cindy Lane for a series of articles on duck hunting near Perico Preserve, Robinson Preserve and Neal Preserve.
Second place in the humorous column category went to Cindy Lane for “Florida flotsam washes up on European beaches,” a story about plastic cups from an Anna Maria Island beach restaurant that were discovered along Europe’s Atlantic coastline.
Third place in local government reporting was awarded to Joe Hendricks for a series on the removal of Australian pine trees from Coquina Beach in the city of Bradenton Beach.
2019
Sun wins nine Florida Press Club awards
The Anna Maria Island Sun staff has won nine awards in the 2019 Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Competition. Awards were presented on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the FPC annual banquet in Boca Raton.
First place
- Commentary Writing, Cindy Lane, for “Part of the Job,” about the Capital Gazette shootings.
Second place
- Online News Site, Cindy Lane, Kristin Swain, Joe Hendricks and Tom Vaught, for amisun.com.
- Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting, Cindy Lane, for “Hunters have bird lovers crying foul,” about duck hunting in Perico Preserve and Neal Preserve
- Artist Illustration, Cindy Lane, for a digitally-sewn quilt of vintage Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival T-shirts
- Headline Writing, Cindy Lane, “Fish house owner in Catch-22”
Third place
- Commentary, Cindy Lane, for “Earthy Ideas from The Sun,” about Odette Katrak, founder of Beautiful Bengaluru in India, connecting with The Sun on coverage of plastic pollution
- Environmental Writing, Cindy Lane, for “Hunters have bird lovers crying foul,” about duck hunting in Perico Preserve and Neal Preserve
- Opinion Writing, Cindy Lane
- Headline Writing, Cindy Lane, “Turtle Watch at loggerheads with city.”
Sun staff wins seven state awards
ST. PETERSBURG – Anna Maria Island Sun staffers earned seven awards in the 2018-19 Florida Press Association Weekly Newspaper Contest at the 2019 Florida Media Conference on July 12.
Awards include general excellence, online breaking news and defense of the First Amendment.
First place in the First Amendment Defense category (the Jon A. Roosenraad Award), competing against Florida newspapers of all sizes, went to Joe Hendricks for “Sunshine lawsuit,” beat coverage of Bradenton Beach litigation surrounding a city committee’s alleged violations of the Florida Sunshine Law.
First place in Online Breaking News Coverage, competing against Florida newspaper websites in all circulation categories, went to Digital Editor Cindy Lane and reporters Joe Hendricks and Kristin Swain for “Surf shop fire” at the iconic West Coast Surf Shop in Holmes Beach.
First place in Original Local Editorial Cartoon went to Sun political cartoonist Steve Borggren for “Gas Mask,” picturing Southwest Florida wearing a gas mask during a persistent bloom of red tide last summer.
Second place in General Excellence went to The Anna Maria Island Sun staff for overall excellence in reporting, photography and design.
Second place in Agricultural and Environmental Reporting went to Cindy Lane for “Oil drilling in the Gulf,” a series tracking the progress of an ultimately victorious state constitutional amendment to ban oil and gas drilling in state waters.
Second place in the Outdoor and Recreation category went to Cindy Lane for “Fishermen to cast vote against net ban,” a series about the ultimately unsuccessful effort of commercial fishermen to get a state constitutional amendment passed overturning the 1995 gill net ban.
Third place in the Outdoor and Recreation category went to Reel Time columnist Rusty Chinnis for “Show them the courtesy,” tips of the trade for fishing courteously.
2018
Sun earns nine statewide awards
The Anna Maria Island Sun was recognized with nine awards in the 2018 Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Competition at a ceremony in Mt. Dora on Saturday.
The Sun’s online edition, amisun.com, won third place for “News Website” statewide, competing against online newspapers of all sizes.
Staff writer Kristin Swain swept the “Community News Writing” category, winning all three awards in the division. Her first place award for “Hurricane recovery begins for condo owners” was about delays in the repairs of several Holmes Beach condos damaged by Hurricane Irma.
She won second and third place awards for “Protecting Holmes Beach from rising tides,” about a city engineer’s plans to harden the city against flooding, and “Property owners sue neighbors for complaining about noise,” about vacation rental owners suing neighbors who reported noise violations to the city.
Staff writer and Digital Editor Cindy Lane won first place in “Commentary Writing” for “The press goes back to school,” about statewide coverage erroneously reporting that a new Florida law allowed beachfront property owners to keep people off the beach.
Lane won second place in “Online Package” with Bob Hite, of Kinship Productions, for “Vaught’s Vietnam,” a story honoring the military service of Sun staff writer Tom Vaught.
She won second place in “That is so… Florida” for “State investigates net camp construction,” about a Cortez resident who built a structure on pilings in state waters.
Lane won second place in “General News Writing” for “Fishermen ask Floridians to vote against net ban,” about commercial fishermen’s efforts to put a constitutional amendment on the state’s ballot reversing the net ban.
Lane won third place in “Features Photography” for “Island SUNset.”
Sun showered with journalism, Sunshine awards
The Anna Maria Island Sun earned seven statewide awards for reporting and photography in print and online at the Florida Press Association Weekly Newspaper Contest on Aug. 10, 2018.
First place awards
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Staff writer Joe Hendricks, First Amendment Defense, for “Bradenton Beach Sunshine Violations.” Hendricks also won the statewide Jon A. Roosenraad award for First Amendment Defense.
Sunshine lawsuit filed
Metz defense challenges Sunshine Law
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Staff writer Cindy Lane, In-Depth Reporting, for “Bye Bye, Baby Snoots,”“Museum investigates Snooty’s death,”“Snooty cause may be headed for courts,” and “Museum admits fault in Snooty’s death,”coverage of the accidental death of Manatee County’s beloved mascot due to inattention to aquarium maintenance.
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Columnist Sean Murphy, Humorous Column, for “Uncle George’s Zipper Parade.”
Second place awards
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Cartoonist Steve Borggren, Original Local Editorial Cartoon, for “To Die For,” depicting red tide victims.
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Digital editor Cindy Lane and freelance videographer Bob Hite, Multimedia Storytelling, for “Vaught’s Vietnam,” a profile of Vietnam veteran Tom Vaught.
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Staff writer Cindy Lane, Online Slideshow, for “Flippers and Feathers,” featuring photos and information about manatees, dolphins, sea turtles and shorebirds.
Third place awards
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Staff writer Cindy Lane, Photo Series in One Issue, for “Surf’s Up,” featuring West Coast Surf Shop summer surf campers.
Sun earns 17 state awards
The Anna Maria Island Sun has earned 17 awards in the Florida Press Club’s 66th Excellence in Journalism Competition, including five first place trophies for opinion writing, breaking news photography, feature photography and sports photography and cartooning.
The awards, presented at Hotel Indigo in Sarasota on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 are:
Opinion Writing
Mike Field, 1st place, The ‘Big M’
Mike Field, 3rd place, The mayors have it right
Breaking News Photography
Tom Vaught, 1st place, Soggy Monday Blues
Mike Field, 2nd place, Red tide continues to plague AMI
Tom Vaught, 3rd place, First day of school
Feature Photography
Maggie Field, 1st place, Silver Sunset
Maggie Field, 2nd place, Meltdown
Joe Sambito, 3rd place, Holiday Moon
Sports Photography
Monica Simpson, 1st place, Redemption
Cartooning
Steve Borggren, 1st place, Beautiful sunrise
Steve Borggren, 2nd place, Brick road
Steve Borggren, 3rd place, Ghost tour
Special Awards – That is so… Florida
Cindy Lane, 2nd place, Eat more octopus
Government News Writing
Kristin Swain, 2nd place, Turn back time
Headline Writing
Mike Field, 2nd place, Houndfish
Pat Copeland, 3rd place, Pooh-pooh
Front Page Design
Ricardo Fonseca, 3rd place, Rays
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2016
First place
- General Excellence, Staff
“There is a lot to like about this newspaper. The front page design is unusual but very inviting. The paper is chock full of everything – solid, comprehensive coverage of the community, including arts and sports. Love the info graphics and treatment of the editorial page. Paper is well designed – fun and engaging treatment of every page – and loaded with ads. I would subscribe to this paper in a heartbeat. Nice work.”
- Original Local Editorial Cartoon, Steve Borggren, “No app for that”
“Steve Borggren has a talent for finding irony and wry humor in news events and everyday life. Especially liked his cartoon about a parent telling her kids to get out in the yard to hunt for Easter eggs rather than look for an ‘app for that’ on their phones.”
Second place
- Best Headline, Pat Copeland, “Commission pooh-poohs peeing in public.”
“Playful alliteration helped draw readers into what might have been just another story about a city commission meeting.”
“Points for recognizing a story that’s not sexy but it is important – especially when the newspaper takes note of it.”
- Feature Story: Non- Profile, Cindy Lane, “Legendary hammerhead immortalized”
“This is a great little story about immortalizing a local legend – Ol’ Hitler, the biggest, meanest, scariest hammerhead ever to scare people out of the water. Well done with plenty of local color. A story that people will keep talking about.”
- Local Government Reporting, Pat Copeland, “Stirring the pot”
“Well written story covering all sides of this issue – great headline – lots of compelling arguments to help the public understand.”
Best Headline, Mike Field, “You ain’t nothing but a houndfish.”
“Fun headline. Elvis would approve!”
- Overall Graphic Design, Ricardo Fonseca and Mike Field
“Less flashy, but a nice, solid design, with very well-designed graphic elements.”
- Humorous Column, Cindy Lane, “Eat more octopus”
This entry was cute and funny, but also informative and entertaining. Good writing – nice work.”
Community History, Cindy Lane, “Tourism slogans, logos evolving”
“Loved the topic, and it was presented in a very stylish way.”
“Picking up shells on the beach is probably one of the most popular seaside recreations there is. But this story went well into the science and conservation of shelling. A story you should read before you reach for that sand dollar.”
“It’s refreshing to see the newspaper use its power to remind the locals of their responsibilities to help protect the environment.”
“With apologies to the many other great entries in the category – beware of photos with cute kids – this one stole the show.”
“Loved the shot of Elvis in the water on New Year’s Day for the annual ‘Shamrock Shiver.’ And a dramatic news photo of workers trying to cap a water leak in Anna Maria.”
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2015
First place
- Tyler Kapela: Spot News Photo, “Twister Hits Skyway.”
- Steve Borggren: Editorial cartoon
Second Place
- Ricardo Fonseca: Front Page Makeup, “Twister Hits Skyway”
- Mike Field: Editorial Writing, “Goodbye and Good Riddance to Port Dolphin”
- Monica Simpson: Sports Photography, “Little Flag Footballers”
- Pat Copeland: Headline Writing, “One pool, two pools, old pool, new pools”
Third Place
- Joe Hendricks: Breaking News Story, “Twister Hits Skyway”
- Cindy Lane: Investigative Reporting Series, “Under Egmont 1,”“Under Egmont 2,”“Under Egmont 3,”“Under Egmont 4”
Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism
2015
- Steve Borggren: Editorial Cartooning
- Maggie Field: Feature Photography
- Maggie Field: General News Photography
- Mike Field: Opinion Writing
- Mike Field: General News Photography
- Cindy Lane: Commentary Writing – Coast Lines: Holy maternity season, bat mom!
- Cindy Lane: Headline Writing – “Turtles at loggerheads with tourists”
- Cindy Lane: Feature Writing
- Cindy Lane: General News Photography
- Cindy Lane: Photo Illustration (2)
- Tom Vaught: Breaking News Writing
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2014
First place
- Cindy Lane: State and Local Tax Reporting (The Florida TaxWatch Award), for a series of stories on Manatee County’s efforts to collect resort taxes. The judges said: “Well written and researched, the series of stories raised awareness of the tax issue.”
- Steve Borggren: Original, Local Editorial Cartoon titled “Remaining assets,” which depicted the Anna Maria Island Community Center’s struggle to stay afloat financially. The judges commented: “Getting an image to hit its viewer immediately is hard. This cartoon captured the mood and the concept of the issue with simplicity. Well done.”
Second Place
- Joe Hendricks: Local Government Reporting, for continuing coverage of efforts to remove the Bradenton Beach mayor from office through “forfeiture of office” procedures. The judges commented: “Well-written reports and extensive coverage on forfeiture of office proceedings. Throughout the writings, the reporter kept opinion out of his stories and thoroughly explained possible outcomes … ”
- Mike Field: Best Headline, for the headline “Granny Get Your Gun,” a story about an Anna Maria Island grandmother who brandished her handgun and confronted a burglar in her house. “Great headline for this story,” the judges said.
- Cindy Lane: Outdoor and Recreation Reporting, for a series of stories on local efforts to save pelicans and turtles from becoming entangled in abandoned fishing line. “Reporter Cindy Lane is a true friend of nature. Her fine reporting spotlights important protection awareness issues for readers,” the judges wrote.
- Cindy Lane: Serious column, (The Sally Latham Memorial Award), for her Coast Lines column titled “Respect the manatee’s river,” which expressed concerns over the course chosen for a power boat race in the Manatee River. The route was scheduled to cut directly through an area where manatees mate. After the column was published, the course was altered to avoid the area. Judges commented: “This column dealt with a hot local subject and offered alternatives and solutions.”
Cindy Lane: Community History, for a story about the U.S. Army searching for old explosives on the beaches in and around Egmont Key. Judges comment: “Great lead image, and an interesting tale.”
Third place
- Sun staff: Overall General Excellence. “The Sun presents its local reports colorfully and with great detail. A good variety.”
- Cindy Lane: Portfolio Photography, (The Robert J. Ellison Award), for a series of photos on a variety of subjects. “The photographer has a good eye for her subjects.”
- Cindy Lane: Spot News Photo, for her photo titled “Blessing all creatures great and small” on a blessing of the animals ceremony at a local church. The judges called this “A great feel good photo.”
- Cindy Lane: Breaking news story, about a local fisherman who took his court case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won, “U.S. Supreme Court considers Yates fish case.” – “Good local story with a tie to the Supreme Court.”
- Mike Field: Feature photo of a mother and daughter taking selfies at sunset on Anna Maria Island. “Candid view of a fun moment,” the judges said.
Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism
2014
First Place
Second and Third Place
- Cindy Lane: Feature Photo (2)
- Cindy Lane: Feature Writing
- Cindy Lane: Headline Writing
- Cindy Lane: Commentary Writing
- Tom Vaught: Breaking News
- Maggie Field: News Photo
- Maggie Field: Feature Photo
- Mike Field: Opinion Writing
- Mike Field: News Photo
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2013
First place
- Cindy Lane: Local Government Reporting, for “Anna Maria Island – Filled to the gills?” about Island leaders appealing to local tourism officials to scale back marketing the destination, saying it has exceeded its capacity for absorbing tourists. Judges said she “reported well and completely on the impact of tourism on the local economy.”
- Cindy Lane: In-Depth Reporting (non-investigative), for “Flood insurance rates soon to rise.” Judges’ comments included, “This is great journalism! It’s not an easy task to make readers interested in flood insurance rates, but you pulled it off, and you shined some light on questionable government practices.”
- Cindy Lane: Agricultural and Environmental Reporting, for “Oil spill leaves residue of uncertainty.” Judges said the reporter “… did a fine follow-up story on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill… she showed readers how much was left undone three years later.”Cindy Lane: Community History, for “Cruise the Historic River,” about the AMI Water Shuttle’s Manatee River cruise.
- Duke Miller: Feature Photo, for “Perfect landing,” depicting a white pelican’s water landing off Cortez.
- Tom Vaught: Education Reporting, for “Chores No More a Winner,” detailing speech contest topics by Anna Maria Elementary School students. Judges called the story “Well written and a really good story,” and praised the reporter’s “very engaging style.”
Second place
- Anna Maria Island Sun Staff: General Excellence, for “The search ends.” Judges noted the issue’s “Clean, attractive design,” “excellent pics,” “meaty stories” and “revenue generating ideas.”
- Steve Borggren: Original Local Editorial Cartoon, for “Island cottages.”
- Cindy Lane: Feature Story (non-profile), for “Insider’s Island,” a tourist’s guide to well-known and lesser-known places of interest on and offshore of Anna Maria Island.
- Cindy Lane: Best Headline, for “Landscaping project wilts.”
Third place
- Ricardo Fonseca, Mike Field: Overall Graphic Design, for an issue that led with the story, “Fire hits Rod and Reel.” Judges praised “Lots of entry points for readers,” and commented that “engaging demographics and strong art add to the overall flow of the content throughout the publication.”
- Cindy Lane: Editorial Award, for “Listen to the people,” about local officials denying a marina at Long Bar Pointe but approving several thousand new homes there. Judges said: “If you are going to take leaders to task when they fail their constituents, you should commend them when they do good – this is a fine example of an editorial doing just that.”
- Cindy Lane: Photo Series in One Issue, for “Soul surfers go to camp,” featuring Eternal Summer Surf Camp, which offers surfing lessons combined with summer Bible school for kids. Judges said “Lane had multiple entries that were impressive… she’s consistently a very good journalist with a variety of talents.”
- Cindy Lane: Sports picture, for “Paddleboard master.”
- Tom Vaught: In-Depth Reporting (non-investigative), for “Complaints prompt police search.”
- Tom Vaught: Feature Story (non-profile), for “Boston nurses remember bombings.”
Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism
2013
First Place
- Maggie Field: Feature Photography
Second Place
- Cindy Lane: Opinion Writing, “Tap tourist tax for beach,” suggesting that the county use tourism resort tax funds allocated for marketing to clean and improve the beaches that attract tourists
- Maggie Field: General News Photography
- Steve Borggren: Editorial Cartoon
- Pat Copeland: Government News
Third place
- Pat Copeland: General News
- Pat Copeland: Community News Writing
- Mike Field, Ricardo Fonseca (tie), Front Page Design
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2012
First place
- Maggie Field, Feature Photo, for “Bottle boaters,” capturing the fun of the DeSoto Bottle Boat Regatta in Palma Sola Bay.
- Cindy Lane, Editorial for “Tap tourist tax for beach,” suggesting that the county use tourism resort tax funds allocated for marketing to clean and improve the beaches that attract tourists.
- Cindy Lane, Feature Story (Profile), for “It’s a small world after all,” about neighbors and golfing buddies Jim Finn and Dick Rowse, who took an Honor Flight together and discovered they had been in the same World War II battles in Okinawa and Saipan.
- Cindy Lane, Portfolio Photography, for “Annual mullet run is on,” a mullet roundup by commercial fishermen; “Decisions, decisions,” picturing a white egret at an arrow in the road; “Kids find summer fun on the water,” with kids learning to surf; “Rescue me,” showing lifeguards in a water rescue training exercise;
and “The colors of Christmas,” featuring a poinsettia farm’s crop.
Tom Vaught, Spot News Photo, for “Right on cue,” picturing Tampa boaters trying to keep their boat upright during a storm in the Gulf.
Second place
- Rusty Chinnis, Outdoor and Recreation, for “Tailor angling plan.”
- Pat Copeland, Feature Story (Profile), for “Kelly ready for new challenges,” about Executive Director Pierrette Kelly’s departure from the Anna Maria Island Community Center after 22 years.
- Cindy Lane, Agricultural and Environmental, for “Manatees help scientists do research,” about hearing tests on manatees at Mote Marine Laboratory.
- Cindy Lane, Feature Photo, for “Decisions, decisions.”
- Tom Vaught, Feature Story (Non-Profile), for “Ruling prince simply ‘The Man,’ ” about a cat that frequents three shopping centers where business owners feed him and pay for his medical care.
Third place
- Pat Copeland, Arts, Entertainment and Review, for “Art League shocker;Island Art League closes.”
- Pat Copeland, Local Government Reporting, for “Dogged reporting on a key moratorium proposal.”
- Mike Field, Ricardo Fonseca, Overall Graphic Design.
- Cindy Lane, Photo Series in an Issue for “Debby bruises Island,” showing the effects of Tropical Storm Debby on Island beaches.
- Troy Morgan, Spot News Photo, for “Officials ponder beaches’ future.”
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2011
First place
- Steve Borggren, Original Local Editorial Cartoon, for “The power of eminent domain.”
- Cindy Lane, Photo Series in One Issue, for a local version of the “12 Days of Christmas.” Judges cited “tons of creativity” and “superb layout.”
- Cindy Lane, Arts, Entertainment and Review Reporting, for “GWTW fans will love ‘Moonlight,’ ” an Island Players review.
Second place
- Pat Copeland, Arts, Entertainment and Review Reporting, for “Gene Aubry: Focusing on art.”
- Maggie Field, Feature Photo, for “Anna Maria rolls out holiday carpet.”
- Cindy Lane, Serious Column, for “No bones about it, jellyfish bad news.”
- Cindy Lane, Outdoor and Recreational, for “Dogs just want to have fun.”
Third place
- Steve Borggren, Original Local Editorial Cartoon, for “Segway rules and regulations coming soon.”
- Mike Field, Editorial Award, for “An insensitive response,” a commentary on an ad campaign.
- Mike Field, Best Headline, for “Canines raise the woof at pooch parade.”
- Cindy Lane, Local Government Reporting, for tourism story, “Too much of a good thing.”
- Cindy Lane, Portfolio Photography, for “Coast Lines.”
- Troy Morgan, Feature Photo, for “100 years of the pier.”
- Sean Murphy, Humorous Column, for “Back to school.”
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2010
First place
- Maggie Field, Feature Picture, for “Flying High,” a photo of a skateboarder at a festival in Anna Maria.
- Mike Field and Laurie Krosney, Editorial Award, for “A Sound Plan,” about a walking and traffic plan for the city of Anna Maria and a call for unity in the community.
- Cindy Lane, Serious Column (Sally Latham Memorial Award), for “Coast Lines: Oil Spill Draws Us – and Them – Close to Coast,” about people visiting the beaches after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill with new appreciation, and animals fleeing the spill towards the coast.
- Sean Murphy, Humorous Column, for “Christmas with Uncle George.”
Second place
- Cindy Lane, News Story (Gwen Stevenson Memorial Award), for “Sabine Mystery Persists,” a six-year retrospective about the events leading up to and following the disappearance of Holmes Beach hotelier Sabine Musil-Buehler.
- Cindy Lane, Community History, for “Roots in the Water,” about volunteers at the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez building replicas of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto’s longboat, used in Tampa Bay, and the boat used by Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin to escape Union troops in east Manatee County.
- Cindy Lane, Portfolio Photography (Robert J. Ellison Memorial Award), for “Waterway Holiday,” a nighttime reflection of sailboats decorated for Christmas; “Restored Valentine House a Historic Treasure,” of a home being moved by barge down the Manatee River to the Robinson Preserve; “Oil Spill Impacts Local Tourism,” capturing dolphins following a tour boat; “Mullet Magic as Seasonal Run Begins,” a Cortez fishing boat bringing in a haul of mullet; and “Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival,” a portrait of Cortez net maker Blue Fulford demonstrating his craft.
- Cindy Lane, Outdoor Writing, for “Locals Headed for Cocoa Surf Contest” and “AMI Takes Surf Fest by Storm,” about the 25th anniversary of the National Kidney Foundation Pro-Am Surf Festival in Cocoa Beach founded by Anna Maria Island surfers and twins Rich and Phil Salick, featuring Island surfers and musicians competing and performing there.
- Cindy Lane, Environmental/Conservation, for “Pets Being Killed by Coyotes” and “Tempers Flare at Coyote Workshop,” about coyotes preying on Cortez pets and the dispute between owners of pet victims and coyote advocates.
Third place
- Steve Borggren, Original Local Editorial Cartoon, for “Excuse Me Mr. Robinson.”
- Rusty Chinnis, Outdoor Writing, for “Take a Kid Fishing.”
- Pat Copeland, Best Obituary by a Newspaper, for “Memories of ‘Snooks’ Shared,” about the life and death at age 91 of W.H. “Snooks” Adams, Holmes Beach’s first police chief.
- Cindy Lane, Humorous Column, for “Coast Lines: Octopi and Golf Balls – a Perfect Match,” about several local stone crab trappers who found that octopus were bringing golf balls into their traps.
- Cindy Lane, Editorial Award, for “Expand the Preserve,” discouraging county officials from approving a golf course next to the environmentally sensitive Robinson Preserve.
Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest
2009
Second place
- Cindy Lane, In-Depth News Reporting, for Port Dolphin, an offshore liquefied natural gas port scheduled to be built off Anna Maria Island
- Steve Borggren, Original Local Editorial Cartoon
- Sun editorial staff, Editorial
Third place
- Cindy Lane, Investigative Reporting, for Gill Net Ban