The staff at amNewYork Metro received great news last week that it won two first-place prizes for breaking news coverage and front page in the New York Press Association’s 2020 Better Newspaper Contest.
The results were announced during the association’s virtual Spring Conference held on April 8-9. The contest included nearly 200 newspapers across the Empire State, with prizes awarded to publications for excellence in reporting, graphics design, photography and advertising.
It was the first year in which amNewYork Metro, a division of Schneps Media, participated in the Better Newspaper Contest. Schneps Media, which owns nearly 75 publications in New York and Philadelphia and acquired the merged amNewYork and Metro New York newspapers in 2019-20, won 49 awards in total during this year’s competition.
“I am bursting with pride at the huge recognition of our talented team, both writers and artists, both digitally and in print,” said Victoria Schneps, president of Schneps Media.
“We are so proud of our team across all divisions of the entire company,” said Joshua Schneps, CEO of Schneps Media. “These recognitions prove what we already know and appreciate: We have the best team in the business!”
amNewYork Metro won first place in the Best Front Page competition for entries created by art directors Mark Ramos and Luis Matos, and editor-in-chief Robert Pozarycki.
“The front page designs in this entry were by far my favorite in this division — there was just such great use of the art work and creative, compelling headlines,” the judges wrote in their decision.
Todd Maisel, retired breaking news editor, also won first prize for amNewYork Metro’s Spot News Coverage. He also won second place for Spot News Photos.
“You can’t make this stuff up. Good writing throughout all of the stories, and good use of real people and quotes,” the judges wrote.
Maisel and amNewYork Metro also won second place for Coverage of Business, Financial and Economic News for stories in our “Small Business Survivors” series, an ongoing look at businesses across New York that are adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Each story had a unique twist that kept me reading more. From the clothing store turned food pantry to the mob stories from days gone by. Well done!” the judges said.
Maisel, along with digital editor Emily Davenport and reporter Rose Adams, took home second place in Spot News Coverage for their collaborative, wild story on a Brooklyn man accused of killing his father and eating part of his body.
“Good descriptive — but gory piece — that demonstrates the drama of how sick people in our society can be,” the judges said. “I liked that the story was introduced with the real people instead of the police account. Good reporting and writing.”
Joseph Pantorno of amNewYork Metro also took home an honorable mention for Best Use of Video for his work collaborating videos for an article published during our coverage of Black Lives Matter protests last summer.
Other highlights from Schneps Media publications
Gay City News, which focuses on LGBTQ issues in New York City and beyond, won 12 NYPA Better Newspaper Contest awards, including three First Place prizes for Coverage of Crime/Courts/Police, News Story and Special Sections Glossy Niche.
QNS.com, the online home for The Queens Courier, TimesLedger and Ridgewood Times newspapers in Queens, won First Place for Best News Website.
The Brooklyn Paper won First Place in News Series on how the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged hospitals, businesses and communities across Brooklyn. Rose Adams of The Brooklyn Paper, the community weekly for the borough of Brooklyn, won the First Place in the Thomas Butson Award for In-Depth Reporting for her story on deaths at a Brooklyn nursing home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dan’s Papers, the weekly newspaper of the Hamptons which Schneps Media purchased in September, took home three First Place awards in the prestigious advertising categories of Best House Ad, Best Large Space Ad and, for its Behind the Hedges magazine, Best Real Estate Home Section.
