Members and supporters of the Maryland | Delaware | DC Press Association came together virtually to highlight news with integrity and excellence in journalism by recognizing the winners in a range of categories.

The contest, governed by the Association’s Editorial and Advertising Committees, admitted over 1,500 entries from 48 member publications among 85 categories. Entries were judged by news media professionals at the Virginia Press Association.

The Baltimore Sun won the James S. Keat Freedom of Information Award for its body of work reporting with public records.  The award is named for Jim Keat, a retired editor and foreign correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, who was a long-time advocate for public information access. Keat is also a member of the MDDC Newspaper Hall of Fame.

The Baltimore Sun won for its Best Moves submission, which was its creation of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion reporting team.

The Association recognized a new journalist with the Rookie of the Year award.  This award honors a new journalist with less than 18 months’ experience in the field.  Six nominations were received from five member publications.  Daniel Oyefusi of The Baltimore Sun, in photograph, was honored for his range and abilities, showing writing skills far beyond his age and experience.

Sara Travlos of the Catholic Review won Designer of the Year, which honors a body of work over the contest cycle.  Travlos’ portfolio of work stood out for her ability to navigate both print and digital platforms, while transforming the work to fit a variety of styles.  The judges felt she brought the “whole package,” by relaunching the Catholic Review a website and bringing exciting and different looks to each magazine piece.

Nadine Timpanaro of Coastal Point won Sales Rookie of the Year, which celebrates a new sales executive with less than 18 months’ experience in the field.

The News Organization of the Year awards represent the best publication in each division.  These awards are chosen based on the points accumulated for first and second prizes in each category.  In the daily divisions, The Baltimore Sun won the award in Division A (print dailies over 75,000); The Frederick News-Post was named News Organization of the Year for Division B (print dailies from 20,000 to 75,000); and The Daily Times won in Division C (print dailies under 20,000).  For non-daily publications, The Catholic Review won the award in Division D (print non-dailies over 20,000); Coastal Point was named News Organization of the Year for Division E (print non-dailies from 10,000 to 20,000); Baltimore Business Journal won in Division F (print non-dailies under 10,000); and Baltimore Brew won in Division O (online-only).

For a full listing of winners and their award-winning work, click here for summaries of each winner, access to a downloadable Excel spreadsheet, and to view presentation episodes on MDDC’s YouTube channel.