| Rank | Newspaper Name | City | Author | Title | Judge's Note |
| General News Reporting | |||||
| 1st | The Brunswick Beacon | Shallotte | Kathryn Jacewicz | One Child Left Behind | Great story - showing the mom's panic and frustration made this a must re-read. |
| 2nd | High Country Press | Boone | Anna Oakes | Sonny's Grill Closes After 54 Years. | After reading this, I felt I knew what it was like to hae been in the grill. |
| 3rd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | John Chappell | Belated Silver Star | Great human interest story. I'm sure the paper's readers wish they could meet Mr. Simons. |
| Online Breaking News | |||||
| 1st | The Independent Weekly | Durham | Sam Wardle | At Unc, Students Crash | Well-written deadline story. |
| 2nd | Charlotte Business Journal | Charlotte | Staff | Wells Fargo, Wachovia Agree To Merge | Good staff writing, good understanding of the facts. |
| 3rd | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Mark Gilchrist | Tire Warehouse Fire | Informative. Good package put together. |
| News Feature Writing | |||||
| 1st | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Deborah Salomon | Special Patient | The writer uses a creative writing style to draw the reader into a very touching story. Great job! |
| 2nd | Yes! Weekly | Greensboro | Keith T. Barber | Sacrificial Lamb? | |
| 3rd | Mountain Xpress | Asheville | Staff | Worldwide Wnc | |
| Feature Writing | |||||
| 1st | The Brunswick Beacon | Shallotte | Kathryn Jacewicz | The Story Of Dee Hills | Outstanding piece of work! Thorough and detailed. Lots of facts and even more raw human emotion surrounding a situation that affects many young people in many communities. Deserves a Pullitzer if you ask me! |
| 2nd | The Herald | Smithfield | Colin Campbell | A Close-Knit Community | Great piece! Felt like we knew the people Colin wrote about. |
| 3rd | Carteret County News-Times | Morehead City | Jennifer Allen | Our History's Future | A unique and well done slant on what could have been a ho-hum anniversary piece. Well done! |
| Profile Feature | |||||
| 1st | The Courier-Times | Roxboro | Grey Pentecost | Giving The Gift Of Life | |
| 2nd | Wilkes Journal-Patriot | North Wilkesboro | Jule Hubbard | Keeper Of The Family Records | |
| 3rd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | John Krahnert Iii | Never Bored | |
| News Enterprise Reporting | |||||
| 1st | Smoky Mountain News | Waynesville | Julia Merchant | Zoo Story | Got all the facts, did a great job presenting both sides of the story. |
| 2nd | The Rhinoceros Times | Greensboro | Paul C. Clark | Sports Investigation Roils Northern High | Very good detail, good understanding of a subject the local community would want to know about. |
| 3rd | The Brunswick Beacon | Shallotte | Laura Lewis | No Place For Public Comment | Does a great job of putting the reader in the middle of the action in this controversy. |
| Investigative Reporting | |||||
| 1st | The Brunswick Beacon | Shallotte | Laura Lewis | Administrator Still On Probation | Of all of the entries, these were the clearest and most concise, showing good investigative reporting doesn't have to be complicated. Nice job! |
| 2nd | Smoky Mountain News | Waynesville | Becky Johnson & Julia Merchant | Dead Or Alive: Ghost Town's Gambit | Great job in covering a difficult complex story. You made a difference in your community. |
| 3rd | The Chapel Hill News | Chapel Hill | Mark Schultz | Fear Of Flying | Good job discovering and reporting on what, on the surface, was a routine matter. |
| Sports News Reporting | |||||
| 1st | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Dan Biser | Stallions Hold Off Sbhs Challenge | I loved the colorful writing in this piece. Made me feel like I was at the game. |
| 2nd | Carteret County News-Times | Morehead City | J. J. Smith | Special Night For Chisenhall | Very interesting story and very well written. |
| 3rd | The Cary News | Cary | J. Mike Blake | Catamounts Win Thriller | I love reading about teams overcoming adversityin big games. Great writing! |
| Sports Feature Writing | |||||
| 1st | Wilkes Journal-Patriot | North Wilkesboro | Jule Hubbard & Andy G. Moore | Absher's Recovery | Dedication to story from start to finish made this a winner. Strong writing, great use of quotes. |
| 2nd | The Cary News | Cary | J. Mike Blake | Trying To Make The Cut | Underdog story draws reader in, good writing keeps them interested. |
| 3rd | The Brunswick Beacon | Shallotte | Michael Paul | Boxer's Sportsmanship | Introduced reader to legend they may have never met. Good entry in loaded category. |
| General News Photography | |||||
| 1st | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Mark Gilchrist | Major Blaze | Shooting a fire with reflective vests is a difficult lighting problem to solve. Good job. |
| 2nd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Glenn M. Sides | Five Charged | Good capture of emotion. |
| 3rd | Watauga Democrat | Boone | Mark Mitchell | Flipping Out | Would have been better if the upside-down man had been in focus. |
| Feature Photography | |||||
| 1st | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Mark Gilchrist | Dam Fun | Great capture of emotion. Technically good. |
| 2nd | The Brunswick Beacon | Shallotte | Renee Sloan | Waving Bye-Bye To Bill | Couple of good surfing shots. |
| 3rd | Carteret County News-Times | Morehead City | Dylan Baker Ray | Rebirth | You had to wait for the perfect moment to get this shot, and you did. |
| Sports Photography | |||||
| 1st | Wilkes Journal-Patriot | North Wilkesboro | Will Sparklin | Ride 'Em Cowboy | Terrific photo. Nice job catching the action. Clean, sharp and colorful image. It would have been better if we could see the cowboy's full face, which is a little hidden by his hat. |
| 2nd | Wilkes Journal-Patriot | North Wilkesboro | Christopher Noble | Dethroned | Very unique football image and much different from most standard shots. Very sharp and colorful. Good job catching the runners expression. |
| 3rd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Glenn M. Sides | On Target | Nice, sharp, colorful image. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the bow. I might have also tried a couple of different angles, but overall this is a very nice and unique image. |
| Photo Page | |||||
| 1st | The Courier-Times | Roxboro | Ken Martin | Seniors Go Fishin' | The top left photo of Ms. Bumphus is classic! That photo could be nothing less than first place. Very simple, yet says so much! |
| 2nd | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Fuller Royal | Nakina's Veteran's Day Parade | Reflection & joy combined together in a very effective scrapbook style layout. Eyecatching! |
| 3rd | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Mark Gilchrist | Big Fun At Big Creek | Top photo almost makes the headline unnecessary! This page screams, "Fun!" |
| Best Video | |||||
| 1st | The Independent Weekly | Durham | D.L. Anderson | Bones Are Beautiful | |
| 2nd | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Mark Gilchrist | Bridge Jumping | |
| 3rd | Eastern Wake News | Zebulon | Brian High & Aaron Moody | Converting | |
| Best Use of an Interactive Feature | |||||
| 1st | High Country Press | Boone | Jamie Carroll | Commenting/Latest Comments | |
| 2nd | The Independent Weekly | Durham | Staff | On The Ballot | |
| 3rd | Yes! Weekly | Greensboro | Staff | Yes! Weekly Blog | |
| Best Multimedia Project | |||||
| 1st | Mountain Xpress | Asheville | Staff | We Are Burton St | Of several expansive efforts among the entries, this is the only one tackling a news issue as opposed to feature topics. The paper gets kudos, too, for championing a neighborhood and giving it a voice, though I wish some of the silent slide shows included |
| 2nd | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Mark Gilchrist | Take The Lake | A far-flung effort of not only multi-media work by Mark Gilchrist, but of organization in a large community project to "Take the Lake." Lots of bells and whistles, and most of them add dimension to the print coverage. The final story and photo page of the |
| 3rd | The Independent Weekly | Durham | Jeremy M. Lange | Finding Faith | While not nearly as elaborate in effort, the "movie" made with B&W still images by Jeremy Lange is stand-out work and a creative and interesting angle on how change has effected a Durham neighborhood and a look at the different avenues religion takes. |
| Editorials | |||||
| 1st | Eastern Wake News | Zebulon | Johnny Whitfield | 12/10/08, 2/4/09, 3/11/09 | |
| 2nd | The Brunswick Beacon | Shallotte | Stacey Manning & Editorial Board | Calabash, Dale, Stipends | |
| 3rd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Steve Bouser | Trying To Imagine, Time For Pinewild, In The Water Wars | |
| Lighter Columns | |||||
| 1st | The Pilot | Southern Pines | John Krahnert Iii | Lessons From A Dog | |
| 2nd | Kernersville News | Kernersville | Raymond Reid | 11/8/08, 10/02/08, 9/5/09 | |
| 3rd | Creative Loafing | John Grooms | New Rules, Ur What U Read, It's As If | ||
| Serious Columns | |||||
| 1st | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Deborah Salomon | Some Things; Child; Existence | Very good writer. Columns very well written, entertaining & I was hooked on each column by the 1st paragraph. |
| 2nd | Lincoln Times-News | Lincolnton | Frank Taylor | Mult | Important issues. Great to see you are not afraid to take on elected officials - especially those in law enforcement. |
| 3rd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Steve Bouser | Godless; When A Big; Hearing Civility's | Good writing. Good columns, especially taking on your friend - had to be difficult. |
| Sports Columns | |||||
| 1st | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Gordon White | Throwing Clubs; Allowing Athletes; Beth Page | Very easy read. He paints pictures with his words |
| 2nd | The Herald | Smithfield | D. Clay Best | A Guy Worth Keeping Around… | Good writing, makes you think, gets you interested in his subjects. |
| 3rd | The Cary News | Cary | J. Mike Blake | Legacy; Cheering; Bus | Good writing, picks interesting angles to view issues. |
| Headline Writing | |||||
| 1st | Charlotte Business Journal | Charlotte | Robert Morris & Steve Cranford | A Brand New U | Great- the standout winner, funny without being cutsey. Good job. |
| 2nd | South Charlotte Weekly | Charlotte | Regan White | A Life Built On; Viva; Signs | Good job! |
| 3rd | The Rhinoceros Times | Greensboro | Staff | Smods; Canada; Abc | Good clear headlines. |
| General Excellence Web Site | |||||
| 1st | The Independent Weekly | Durham | Staff | www.Indyweek.Com | |
| 2nd | High Country Press | Boone | Jamie Carroll | www.Highcountrypress.Com | |
| 3rd | Yes! Weekly | Greensboro | Staff | www.Yesweekly.Com | |
| Appearance and Design | |||||
| 1st | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Staff | July 16 & 20, 2009 | Clean layout, nice design, good photos. |
| 2nd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Staff | July 17 & 19, 2009 | |
| 3rd | Smoky Mountain News | Waynesville | Staff | July 15 & 22, 2009 | |
| Editorial Page | |||||
| 1st | The Chapel Hill News | Chapel Hill | Staff | April 19, 22 & 26, 2009 | This is a solid op-ed section - columns, guest columns, cartoons and even a 'man on the street' feature. This is fare for serious newspaper readers and I love it. |
| 2nd | The Pilot | Southern Pines | Staff | Terrible News; Don't Scare Off; A Monument | This is a nice op-ed page complete with editorial cartoons. Editor Steve Bouser's columns were well thought and very relevant. |
| 3rd | Yes! Weekly | Greensboro | Staff | Viral; Together; Time Warner | These are short little editorials but they hit their targets dead-on. Keep up the good work of calling these folks out. |
| Sports Coverage | |||||
| 1st | The Herald | Smithfield | D. Clay Best & Staff | November 5 & 12, 2008 | Solid entry stood out above all other entries because of depth of coverage. Issues contain something for ALL sports fans. Nice work! |
| 2nd | South Charlotte Weekly | Charlotte | Staff | November 7 & 28, 2008 | Talented staff produces solid entry. In-depth feature work is impressive! |
| 3rd | Carteret County News-Times | Morehead City | Staff | January 11 & 25, 2009 | Strong entry in tough category. Multiple photos nice, but needs dominant photo. Less might bring bigger impact. |
| Use of Photographs | |||||
| 1st | Carteret County News-Times | Morehead City | Staff | March 1 & 4 | Varied use of photographs. Running photos large is visualyl appealing and eye catching. |
| 2nd | The Chapel Hill News | Chapel Hill | Staff | March 1 & 8 | You have to love a paper that will put thrift store shoes and chickens on its front page. Kudos, Mr. Harry Lynch, on some very interesting photos! |
| 3rd | The Franklin Press | Franklin | Staff | March 4 & 25 | Good photographs with a variety of subjects. |
| News Coverage | |||||
| 1st | Mooresville Tribune | Mooresville | Staff | May 22 & May 29, 2009 | |
| 2nd | The Herald | Smithfield | Staff | May 6 & May 13, 2009 | |
| 3rd | The Franklin Press | Franklin | Staff | May 1 & 22, 2009 | |
| Special Section | |||||
| 1st | The News Reporter | Whiteville | Bob High | Columbus County Bicentennial | Lots of work went into this special series. The in-depth stories, great photos and overall personality of the sections are excellent! |
| 2nd | The Cary News | Cary | Staff | Cary Today | Very professional layout and beautiful photos! |
| 3rd | Carteret County News-Times | Morehead City | Staff | Beaufort's 300th Anniversary | |
| Criticism | |||||
| 1st | The Independent Weekly | Durham | Adam Sobsey | Father; Old Country; Nowhere Man | Good writing! |
| 2nd | Ashe Mountain Times | West Jefferson | Joel Frady | Revenge; Thought Provoking; 500 Days | Good review of a good movie. |
| 3rd | Yes! Weekly | Greensboro | Ryan Snyder | Lil Wayne | |
