Review-Journal wins four Best of the West awards

Las Vegas Review-Journal staffers won four awards in the 2013 Best of the West contest, including first place in general interest column writing.

Best of the West is a contest that rewards journalistic excellence in 14 western states including Nevada.

“Obviously the competition is really tough when you’re going up against the best newspapers west of the Mississippi,” Review-Journal editor Mike Hengel said. “Hat’s off to (the winners). They do great work like this everyday. It’s nice for them to get this kind of recognition.”

John L. Smith won first place in general interest column writing for five columns ranging from bumbling detectives, the jobless, and a judge who used the Bible and Shakespeare to sentence a priest.

“All (the columns) are built around good old-fashioned reporting,” contest judge Tomas J. Fladung, managing editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, said. “A news columnist in the classic sense.”

Second place prizes went to Richard Lake in the category of short-form feature writing and Matthew Crowley for headline writing.

Lake won for his candid look at the “Fifty Shades” phenomenon.

The judge said, “Lake takes chances with intriguing assertions, then backs them up with hard facts and fresh perspective. And, as a writer, Lake clearly revels in exploring the boundaries of his craft, without ever distracting the reader from the central subject.”

Crowley won with headlines that included “Sacre brew! Beer tax has French seething,” “Racketman, blowing out his fuse out there alone,” and “Who moved my cheesecake?”

“(These) are display type that brings a smile to the face and draws in the reader,” category judge Jeff Kleinman , day editor of the Miami Herald said.

Michael Quine won a third place prize for video storytelling in a Valentine’s Day special sharing the love stories of nine Las Vegas couples.

A contest judge praised Quine’s Valentine’s Day video and said, “This was perhaps one of the most engaging videos. Lighthearted, emotional, sweet and downright honest. The personalities of the couples included make this one.”

Contact Rochel Leah Goldblatt at rgoldblatt@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381.