Anna Quindlen Awards:
Excellence in Journalism in Behalf of Children and Families
WHAT
The Anna Quindlen Awards for Excellence in Journalism in Behalf of Children and Families were established in 1995 to recognize individuals in the field of journalism-print reporters, editorial writers, and broadcast news–whose coverage of child welfare issues advances knowledge and understanding of the state of vulnerable children and families in America.
Nominations for the 2013 awards are being accepted through February 15, 2013.
WHO
Separate awards are given for print, online and broadcast work. Candidates for this award must have covered relevant issues over the past 12 months (from February 16, 2012) and, as a result of their work, produced positive change for children and families.
Winners will be invited to accept the award during CWLA’s 2013 National Conference, Making Children and Families a Priority: Raising The Bar, which will be held April 14-17, 2013, in Washington, DC.
HOW
Electronic submissions are strongly preferred, and can be sent to Cassaundra Rainey, 718-828-0300, ext. 110. The nomination form below includes additional instructions on how to submit copies of articles or video for consideration. Nominations also require a supporting statement from the nominator.
Nomination Form
WHY
The award is named for Anna Quindlen, a novelist, social critic, and contributing editor for Newsweek. In 1992, while writing for The New York Times, she won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary. In addition to her nonfiction work, Quindlen has written several novels. Her thoughtful and impassioned commentary touches on a range of concerns, including many related to children, families, and critical social issues.
Past Winners
2012 Award Winner
Vivian Nereim
Online/Print Reporter
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Three-part series “A Long Road to a Safe Place” about the injury risks of children in state-licensed residential programs.
2011 CWLA Anna Quindlen Award Winner
Print: Marjie Lundstrom
Senior Writer/Projects & Investigations, The Sacramento Bee
Covered the unsolved murder of a 4-year-old foster child, exposing errors by police and social workers that reignited the search for the little girl’s killer.
Broadcast: Noelle Conti
Producer, KPCC’s Patt Morrison Show
Developed a series of segments and interactive web site that provided an in-depth look at issues facing youth in foster care.
2010 CWLA Anna Quindlen Award Winner
Daniel Heimpel
LA Weekly, Los Angeles, California
Daniel Heimpel is a freelance journalist whose stories for LA Weekly earned him a nomination for the Anna Quindlen award. The stories are especially compelling because he is writing about what he’s seen and experienced as a volunteer helping foster youth. One story in particular, “Left to Themselves,” was a first-person narrative about a young man who found no solutions from the foster system that raised him from the age of 18 months until 18 years. But Daniel knows there are positive stories out there, and he is committed to helping other reporters find them and share them. Since receiving the award, he has started Fostering Media Connections, an initiative to showcase the successes of foster care in communities across the country. Read about Daniel and his team in a Children’s Voice story.
2009 CWLA Anna Quindlen Award Winner
Lane DeGregory
St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Florida
Lane DeGregory’s ongoing, in-depth coverage of at-risk children seeks to provide the reader with a clear picture of provocative and controversial subjects involving the neglect and abuse of children. One of several poignant articles she has written in the last year is “The Girl in the Window,” about Danielle, a feral child that neighbors had only glimpsed before authorities removed her from the home. At 7, Danielle was wearing only a filthy diaper, and she could not speak, walk, or feed herself. The story also won DeGregory a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, and was reprinted in CWLA’s Children’s Voice magazine. DeGregory was nominated for the award by Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, a CWLA member.
2008 CWLA Anna Quindlen Award Winners
Steven Smith and Carla Savalli
Spokesman Review, Spokane, Washington
Steven Smith and Carla Savalli of the Spokesman Review in Spokane, Washington, were nominated by Morning Star Boys Ranch, because Smith made a decision to publish a story on the front page of the paper every day during April, Child Abuse Prevention month. He appointed Savalli, a local editor, to organize the project. His efforts led to the creation of the Our Kids: Our Business initiative. This groundbreaking project examined the causes of abuse, the people involved, and programs that help prevent abuse. They told stories of abusive families, misunderstood families, good news and bad, and the agonizing questions that challenge state child protection efforts.
Kevin Doran
WROC-TV8, CBS, Rochester, New York
Kevin Doran, news anchor at WROC-TV8, the CBS affiliate in Rochester, New York, was the winner in the broadcast category. Dornan collaborated with the Adoption Resource Network at Hillside Children’s Center to produce a series of news segments and a one-hour documentary on adoption during the spring of 2007. The weekly segments focused on various aspects of adoption, from children available for adoption in the foster care system to open adoption and domestic versus international adoption.
2007 CWLA Anna Quindlen Award Winner
Sharon Coolidge
The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
Sharon Coolidge is honored for her special report on “Lead’s Dangerous Legacy,” which focused on lead poisoning in children. Coolidge originally began work on this story for the weekend edition of the paper, but was unable to obtain information from the city of Cincinnati regarding its lead paint poisoning records. Two years later, the Ohio State Supreme Court ordered the city to open its records. Coolidge used the information to profile the lives of children contaminated by lead. Her investigation revealed that the city health department had not forced property owners to clean up toxic lead hazards, which caused developmental problems in children. As a result of Coolidge’s special report, the mayor and council launched an investigation that resulted in a comprehensive plan to eliminate lead poisoning in the city. She continues to report on the property owners and their clean-up efforts.