HONOLULU Magazine Wins 11 Hawaii Society of Professional Journalists Awards

SPJ Award-winning stories covered everything from UH football to same-sex marriage.

June 30, 2014

HONOLULU Magazine Team,

Here at HONOLULU Magazine, we love telling great stories, but it’s always nice to get recognized for the quality work that we do. Last Friday evening, the Hawaii Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists held its annual awards ceremony, and HONOLULU won big, with prizes for both writing and design.

Congratulations to all our talented writers, designers and photographers, and kudos, also, to our sister publications Hawaii Business, Hawaii and Mana, each of which also took home top awards.

Here’s what we won, and if you missed any of these stories the first time around, we’ve included links so you can check them out now.

HONOLULU Magazine won first-place SPJ awards in the following categories:

Health Reporting: “The Doctor Is Out, June 2013”

By David Thompson

Judges’ Comments: “A comprehensive and highly readable story about an issue with high public impact. The author explains well the reasons for critical doctor shortages, potential solutions and programs in play.”

Sports Reporting: “Go Bows—Will We Ever Win Again? September 2013”

By David Thompson, Lance Tominaga, Dave Choo

Judges’ Comments: “This was a great read, a thorough look at the athletic director’s efforts to improve a struggling program. The example of the replacement of the light bulbs was classic.”

Online News Reporting: “Diane Lee’s Reporting on the Same-Sex-Marriage Special Session”

By Diane Lee

Judges’ Comments: “I like the presentation as a package, sort of a non-linear way to tell the story. … Great job done in a different way, on a big news story.”

Industry or Trade Reporting: “The Everything Guide to Ahi”

By Martha Cheng, Mari Taketa, Tiffany Hill, Katrina Valcourt

Judges’ Comments: “A lively, detailed, colorful biography of an iconic fish, bolstered by dazzling art and design. The best of a highly competitive category.”