Arizona Daily Star awards: AZ Journalist, Photographer and Newspaper of the Year

The Arizona Daily Star won top honors in two state journalism contests this month.

Reporter Tony Davis was named Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club.

Kelly Presnell is the Arizona Newspapers Association’s Photographer of the Year, for the third consecutive year.

And the Star was named Newspaper of the Year by the Arizona Newspapers Association.

In honoring Davis with the Press Club’s most prestigious annual award, a judge wrote:

“Tony Davis’ investigative reporting on two Tucson-area projects threatening the environment — a housing development near the San Pedro River and the Rosemont mine — laid bare the political influences that shaped key decisions. He got people to talk on the record — hard to do in these situations — and his reporting had impact. His work made a difference to his region and possibly to future policy.”

ANA judges praised Presnell for “a unique and well-rounded body of work. ... Excellent imagery, well done.”

Other awards

Here are the other honors the Star, under publisher John D’Orlando and editor Jill Jorden Spitz, earned this year from the Arizona Newspapers Association:

First places, newspaper as a whole:

General excellence.

Reporting and news writing excellence.

News and copy editing excellence.

Page design excellence.

Editorial page excellence.

Best use of photography.

Newspaper website, Tucson.com .

Second place, newspaper as a whole:

Special section or magazine.

Third place, newspaper as a whole:

Community service/journalistic achievement.

First places, individual awards:

Best news story: Justin Sayers and Jasmine Demers for “Nursing homes a COVID-19 hotbed.”

Investigative reporting: Carol Ann Alaimo for “Shoddy pavers.”

Best sustained coverage or series: Curt Prendergast for “Border wall.”

Best team, sport or sports beat coverage: Caitlin Schmidt for “Title IX.”

Best feature story: Henry Brean for “Sacred ground.”

Best headline: Dave Ord for a portfolio.

Best news photograph: Mamta Popat for “Nasal swab.”

Best feature photograph: Kelly Presnell for “Bobbing for apples.”

Best feature photo layout or photo story: Josh Galemore for “Audrey Jimenez, Tucson wrestler.”

Best sports photograph: Mike Christy for “Torrential track meet.”

Second places, individual awards:

Best news story: Jasmine Demers for “Family of Tucson’s first COVID-19 victim wants his life to mean something.”

Investigative reporting: Patty Machelor and Danyelle Khmara for “Rising rents driving out families.”

Enterprise reporting: Tony Davis for “Water system heading toward ‘train wreck.’”

Best sustained coverage or series: Curt Prendergast for “Asylum seekers.”

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Online coverage of breaking news: Bruce Pascoe, Justin Spears, Alec White, Michael Lev and Greg Hansen, for “The day college sports stopped.”

Best sports story: Caitlin Schmidt for “Doggone fast.”

Best headline, Martin Rosales, for a portfolio.

Best feature photograph: Josh Galemore for “She must have liked me.”

Best sports photograph: Kelly Presnell for “Soccer punch.”

Best feature photo layout or photo story: Mamta Popat for “Behind the masks.”

Third places, individual awards:

Best news story: Danyelle Khmara for “Tucson teen fights deportation.”

Investigative reporting: Justin Sayers and Carol Ann Alaimo for “University of Arizona finances.”

Enterprise reporting: Curt Prendergast for “Guns quietly smuggled across border.”

Best multimedia storytelling: Curt Prendergast and Alex Devoid for “Border wall built with drug money, but won’t stop drugs.”

Best headline, Elizabeth Quinlan, for a portfolio.

Beat feature photograph: Rebecca Sasnett for “Pandemic and prom.”

Other Arizona Press Club awards

Here are the other awards the Star, its website Tucson.com, and its sister publications, This is Tucson and La Estrella de Tucsón, earned this year from the Arizona Press Club:

First places:

Column writing: Tim Steller.

Sports investigative reporting: Caitlin Schmidt.

Food and beverage reporting: Andi Berlin.

Second places:

Environmental journalism: Tony Davis.

Science reporting: Jasmine Demers.

Short-form writing: Cathalena Burch.

Spanish-language news reporting: Liliana López Ruelas.

Community column writing: Jerry Wilkerson.

Sports feature reporting: Mark Lawson.

Third places:

Investigative reporting: Carol Ann Alaimo.

Personality profile: Henry Brean.

Immigration reporting: Perla Trevizo.

Sports feature reporting: Caitlin Schmidt.

Food and beverage reporting: Cathalena Burch.

Spanish-language news reporting: Stephanie Casanova.

Spanish-language commentary/analysis: Ernesto Portillo Jr.

(Editor’s note: Results in some categories, including Photojournalist of the Year and all photo categories, have not yet been announced in the Arizona Press Club contest and will be updated later in the online version of this article).