The Charleston City Paper today won more awards for South Carolina newspaper excellence than any other weekly newspaper in the state. It brought home a cache of seven first places, eight second places and 14 third place awards in the annual S.C. Press Association contest for news and design excellence.
“Wow-ee,” said Andy Brack, the newspaper’s editor and publisher. “This is an amazing honor for the newspaper and a terrific recognition of the outstanding work done every week by our reporters, editors and artists to come up with the best weekly in the state week after week.”
Leading the way with two first place awards was Statehouse bureau chief Jack O’Toole who was recognized for best health beat reporting for stories on the state’s vaccination rate, spikes in Covid rates and rises in the cost of health insurance. He also nabbed a first place for best profile feature writing for a story highlighting the career of veteran journalist Carl Bernstein. O’Toole also won third place among all newspapers for best single story in support of a cause or community concern for reporting on a bitter Republican feud at the Statehouse.
Reporters Herb Frazier and Skyler Baldwin won third place for community service for a series of stories on antebellum human remains found at two different sites – and what officials were doing about them.
Other first place winners were:
Robert Ariail, for three cartoons in his weekly Lowcountry series published every week. A fixture in Palmetto State cartooning, he has won numerous state and national awards, including being named a cartooning finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2000.
Scott Suchy, the newspaper’s art director, nabbed the top honor in information graphics for a storm surge illustration.
Ashleigh Keiser, a designer who coordinates the newspaper’s social media on Facebook and Instagram, got first place for use of social media.
Emily Rutowski, who was an intern from Syracuse University at the newspaper during the city’s spring festival season, won first prize for news feature writing for a touching June story on Chris Singleton on the tenth anniversary of the death of his mother and eight others in the Emanuel AME tragedy.
The City Paper staff also won a first place for its summer 2025 Dish food magazine as best feature section or magazine among all weeklies.
Second place winners include:
- Editorial Board: Jay Bender, assertive award for journalism
- Ashley Stanol, feature photo
- Becky Lacey, lifestyle feature writing
- Libby Wiersema, food writing
- Scott Suchy, inside page design
- Skyler Baldwqin, beat reporting
- Staff, editorial/column supporting open government
- Steve Stegelin, cartoon
Third place winners include:
- Andy Brack, election/political coverage; obituary.
- Herb Frazier, growth and development beat reporting, community service.
- Maura Hogan, arts and entertainment writing; reviews; reporting in depth.
- Ashleigh Keiser, feature page design.
- Neil Kinard and Bill Sharpe, news video.
- Jack O’Toole, Judson Chapman Award on a cause or concern; news feature writing.
- Scott Suchy, mixed media illustration; photo page design.
- Skyler Baldwin, reporting in depth; business beat reporting; community service.
- Staff, newsletter; general excellence for digital publication.
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