The Record and NorthJersey.com honored in NJ Press Association's annual journalism contest

Alex Nussbaum, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

NorthJersey.com's coverage of a massive chemical fire in Passaic and the heroic efforts of emergency responders, our stories about religious life in New Jersey and a piercing documentary about an anti-violence campaign in Paterson all won top prizes in the New Jersey Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest.

The staff of NorthJersey.com and The Record were recognized with 21 awards for our writing, reporting and photography in 2022, while journalists with the Daily Record and New Jersey Herald − all three part of the USA TODAY Network-New Jersey − won another seven honors.

Winners were announced Thursday night at a ceremony in Monroe Township.

Here's a look at our winning entries:

The inferno at the Qualco Inc. warehouse in Passaic.
The inferno at the Qualco Inc. warehouse in Passaic.

The Record/NorthJersey.com

First Place

  • Online breaking news - Scott Fallon, Katie Sobko, Gene Myers and Steve Janoski for coverage of the Qualco Inc. fire in Passaic

  • News columns - Mike Kelly

  • Specialty writing portfolio - Deena Yellin for religion coverage

  • News picture story - Mitsu Yasukawa

  • Protest photos - Mistu Yasukawa

  • Spot news photography - Chris Pedota

  • Video portfolio - Michael Karas

Second Place

  • Sports feature photography - Amy Newman

  • Best video - Michael Karas

  • Best headlines - Scott Muller

  • Business writing portfolio - Daniel Munoz

  • Scholastic sports writing portfolio - Sean Farrell

Third Place

  • Enterprise reporting - Matt Fagan, Lori Comstock, Liam Quinn and Mary Chao for their series on Human Trafficking in New Jersey

  • News photo - Anne-Marie Caruso

  • News picture story - Kevin Wexler

  • Spot news photo - Tariq Zehawi

  • Best video - Chris Pedota

  • Online breaking news - Nicholas Katzban and Kristie Cattafi on the American Dream mall shooting

  • Business writing portfolio - Chris Maag

  • Government writing portfolio - Ashley Balcerzak

  • Sports columns - Art Stapleton

2023 in images: Our favorite photos from a difficult year

Daily Record/dailyrecord.com

First Place

Second Place

  • News writing portfolio - William Westhoven

  • Scholastic sports writing portfolio - Jane Havsy

Investigation: Human trafficking is complex. Take a deeper look and see how to help in NJ

New Jersey Herald/njherald.com

Second Place

  • Specialty writing portfolio - Kyle Morel for education coverage

Third Place

  • Specialty writing portfolio - Bruce Scruton for coverage of the New Jersey bear hunt

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NorthJersey.com wins 21 awards in annual NJPA journalism contest