AJAs recognize the best in 2019. (AJAs photo)

HALIFAX: The Atlantic Journalism Awards (AJAs) announced on May 8 the recipients of the gold and silver awards from their 2019 competition.

“Despite having to cancel the gala awards night due to Coronavirus, the AJAs’ board of directors felt it was essential to continue with the competition this year,” said Fred Hutton, chair of AJAs. “The importance of high-quality journalism has never been more apparent as journalists and media outlets work to inform Atlantic Canadians about Coronavirus, and to tell the stories that are important to us all.

“The AJAs celebrate the highest achievement in journalism each year and we congratulate the winners on their excellent work.”



“We are also pleased to induct three well-known journalists into the AJAs’ Hall of Fame, which recognizes journalism builders who have made a significant contribution to the profession,” said Hutton.

“This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Glen Carter, NTV News; Vernon Oickle, Bridgewater Bulletin; and David Cadogan, Miramichi Leader.”

The complete list of finalists and winners is below.

Winners are also being announced on the AJAs’ social media accounts: Facebook (@AtlanticJAwards) and Twitter (@atlanticJawards).

The AJAs are made possible by the strong support of the following sponsors:

  • Communications Nova Scotia
  • Marine Atlantic
  • CWA/SCA Canada
  • Atlantic Lottery
  • Stirling Communications International
  • CBC
  • ICI Acadie
  • Cision 

And the winners are:

Photojournalism News

  • GOLD WINNER
    Keith Corcoran – LighthouseNOW Progress Bulletin – Bridgewater, NS – Crash Scene Drunk Driving Arrest.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Keith Gosse – The Telegram – St. John’s, NL – Serious moose collision.
    Andrew Vaughan – The Canadian Press – Halifax, NS – Hurricane Watch. 

Photojournalism Portrait/Feature

  • GOLD WINNER
    Eric Wynne – The Chronicle Herald – Halifax, NS – Listening In.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Andrew Vaughan – The Canadian Press – Halifax, NS – Rural Route.
    Andrew Vaughan – The Canadian Press – Halifax, NS – Polar Bear Dip.

Atlantic Magazine Article

  • GOLD WINNER
    Ben Goldfarb – Atlantic Salmon Journal – Chamcook, NB – Too hot to handle, Summer 2019
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Stephen Kimber – Atlantic Business Magazine – St. John’s, NL – Bonavista’s Master of Flip
    Jim Gourlay – Saltscapes – Halifax, NS – A Toxic Legacy

Atlantic Magazine: Best Cover

  • GOLD WINNER
    Content Team – Atlantic Books Today – Halifax, NS – Atlantic Books Today Edition #90
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Carolyn Green – Atlantic Business Magazine – St. John’s, NL – Top 50 CEO Awards.
    Shawn Dalton – Saltscapes – Halifax, NS – Saltscapes Cover

Atlantic Magazine: Best Profile Article

  • GOLD WINNER
    Stephen Kimber – Atlantic Business Magazine – St. John’s, NL – We were the three beeotches.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Joan Sullivan – Newfoundland Quarterly – St. John’s, NL – Accordian to Don.
    Anne Calder – Saltscapes – Halifax, NS – Aubrey’s story.

Breaking/Spot News Reporting: Newspaper

  • GOLD WINNER
    Rosie Mullaley – The Telegram – St. John’s, NL – Inmate death at HMP.
  • SILVER WINNER
    Keith Corcoran – LighthouseNOW Progress Bulletin – Bridgewater, NS – Crash Scene Drunk Driving Arrest.

Breaking News: Radio

  • GOLD WINNER
    Fred Hutton – VOCM – St. John’s, NL – FISH-NL Raids FFAW Meeting.

Breaking News/Spot News: Television

  • GOLD WINNER
    Équipe du Téléjournal Acadie – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – L’ouragan Dorian frappe les Maritimes
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Équipe du Téléjournal Acadie – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Couverture de la tragédie touchant la famille Barho à Halifax
    Colleen Jones – CBC Nova Scotia – Halifax, NS – Hurricane Dorian coverage

Excellence in Digital Journalism: Breaking News

  • GOLD WINNER
    Aly Thomson – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – Hurricane Dorian coverage.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Victoria Battcock – VOCM – St. John’s, NL – Hotel Mount Pearl Destroyed by Fire.
    Alix Villeneuve – Radio-Canada Acadie – Caraquet, NB – Éoliennes à Anse-Bleue : « si j’avais su, je n’aurais pas signé »

Enterprise Reporting: Newspaper

  • GOLD WINNER
    Team entry: Lyndsay Armstrong, Robert Cribb, Elizabeth McSheffrey, Megan O’Toole, Patti Sonntag, Zane Woodford – Star Halifax/Global News – Halifax, NS – Tainted Water.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Ashley Fitzpatrick – The Telegram – St. John’s, NL – Muskrat Falls Inquiry.
    Caora McKenna – The Coast – Halifax, NS – The Methadone Method.

Enterprise Reporting: Radio

  • GOLD WINNER
    Liz Hadfield – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – CBC Information Morning
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Maggie Rahr – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – Carrie Low
    Dan Ahlstrand – News 95.7 – Halifax, NS – Hurricane Dorian Special Coverage

Enterprise Reporting: Television

  • GOLD WINNER
    Carolyn Ray, David Laughlin – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – The Cost of Breathing
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Ariana Kelland – CBC NL – St. John’s, NL – Cops on Camera
    Ryan Cooke – CBC NL – St. John’s, NL – St. John’s panhandler stuck in cycle of court appearances he can’t remember

Excellence in Digital Journalism: Enterprise/Longform

  • GOLD WINNER
    Lindsay Jones – Topic Magazine – Halifax, NS – Mothering Without Limits 
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Linda Pannozzo – Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – The Archaeology of Loss.
    Maggie Rahr – AMI / Ocean Entertainment – Halifax, NS – What Happened to Holly Bartlett.  

Feature: Newspaper

  • GOLD WINNER
    Andrew Bethune – The Coast – Halifax, NS – Health care’s exhausted pain reliever.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Lindsay Jones – Freelancer Lindsay Jones for the Globe and Mail – Halifax, NS – ‘It’s up to us’: A Mi’kmaq mother’s killing drives Cape Breton community to action.
    Juanita Mercer – The Telegram – St. John’s, NL – Remembering Rudy.

Feature: Radio

  • GOLD WINNER
    Rebecca Nolan – CBC: Atlantic Voice – St. John’s, NL – The Pear Tree.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Richard Woodbury – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – Finding Florence.
    Peter Gullage – CBC NL – St. John’s, NL – Crow Gulch Was Here.

Feature: Television

  • GOLD WINNER
    Jean Laroche – CBC NS – Halifax, NS – Buchanan’s Electric John.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Janique Leblanc – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Lillian Vetter : ma deuxième vie en Acadie
    Jen White – CBC NL – St. John’s, NL – This Is My Story.

Business Reporting: Any Medium

  • GOLD WINNER
    Robert Jones – CBC NB – Saint John, NB – Fiscal Fumble.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Patrick Butler – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Exploration pétrolière à T.-N.-L. : une surveillance à temps partiel pour les espèces en danger.
    Patrick Butler – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Un délice japonais alimente les espoirs de tout un village.

Sports Reporting: Any Medium

  • GOLD WINNER
    Mathieu Massé – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – La littératie physique en diminution chez les jeunes
  • SILVER WINNERS
    François Le Blanc – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Le casse-tête de Simon
    Mark Dwyer – NTV – St. John’s, NL – On the Mark – Chasing a Dream

Arts and Entertainment Reporting: Any Medium

  • GOLD WINNER
    Marjorie Simmins – Saltscapes – Halifax, NS – Rockin’ the blues.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Jimena Vergara – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Une carrière marquée par le CMA de 1994.
    Andrea Nemetz – Halifax Magazine – Halifax, NS – Dinuk Wijeratne.

Commentary: Any Medium

  • GOLD WINNER
    El Jones – Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – In praise of First Girls.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Carmen Vela – allNovaScotia – Halifax, NS – No Room for Dissent – McNeil’s China policy.
    Stephen Kimber – Halifax Examiner – Halifax, NS – Coming to terms with the Complicated legacy of Gerald Regan.

Video Journalist: Television

  • GOLD WINNER
    Kelly-Anne Roberts – NTV – St. John’s, NL – Show of work.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Marie-Isabelle Rochon – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB – Show of work.
    Leila Beaudoin – NTV – St. John’s, NL – Show of work.

Best Community Newspaper News Story

  • GOLD WINNER
    Paul Pickrem – The Valley Harvester – Kingston, NS – The Wolfville Farmers’ Market: Behind the Scenes
  • SILVER WINNER
    Keith Corcoran – LighthouseNOW Progress Bulletin – Bridgewater, NS – Cystic Fibrosis Breakthrough Therapy

Editorial Cartooning

  • GOLD WINNER
    Michael de Adder – The Chronicle Herald/Brunswick News – Show of work.

Best Information News Radio Program (Selected Program)

  • GOLD WINNER
    The Sheldon MacLeod Show December 11, 2019: Cracked Armor – News 95.7 – Halifax, NS.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    VOCM News December 18, 2019: On Target St. John’s Christmas Traditions – VOCM – St. John’s, NL.
    Ici Radio-Canada Acadie 7 septembre, 2019: Émission spéciale – Ouragan Dorian – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB. 

Best Radio Newscast (Selected Newscast)

  • GOLD WINNER
    VOCM News at Noon With Brian Madore, September 20th 2019 – VOCM – St. John’s.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    The Afternoon News, September 10, 2019 – News 97.5 – Halifax, NS.
    Ici le midi, 16 décembre 2019 – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB.

Best Television News Broadcast

  • GOLD WINNER
    CBC News Nova Scotia – December 20, 2019 – CBC NS – Halifax, NS.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Le Téléjournal Acadie – September 16, 2019 – Radio-Canada Acadie – Moncton, NB.
    CBC News Here & Now – October 2, 2019 – CBC NL – St. John’s, NL.

Best Student Journalism

  • GOLD WINNER
    University of King’s College School of Journalism (The Coast/Pictou Advocate/the Reporter) – The Signal/The Coast – Halifax, NS – Foreclosed.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    University of King’s College School of Journalism – The Signal/Ku’ku’kwes News – Halifax, NS – Searching for the meaning of ‘moderate livelihood’.
    University of King’s College School of Journalism – The Signal – Halifax, NS – Standing Still.

The Jim MacNeill New Journalist Award

  • GOLD WINNER
    Malone Mullin – CBC NL – St. John’s, NL – Show of work.
  • SILVER WINNERS
    Kelly-Anne Roberts – NTV – St. John’s, NL – Show of work.
    John Woodside – allNewfoundlandLabrador – St. John’s, NL – Show of work.