The finalists of the 2007 AltWeekly Awards include stories about a unitard-clad unicyclist, tuberculosis testing in prisons, and a cancer that may be caused by the implosion of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Other honorees that emerged from the 1,481 entries include a comic strip starring Republican strategist Ralph Reed and an illustrated guide for African-Americans to navigate DC's posh Georgetown neighborhood.

This is the 12th year of the annual awards, which recognize the best writing, design and web innovations in the 125 newsweeklies that belong to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. This year, AAN introduced Ad Design as a category and divided last year's Website category into three: Blog, Website Content Feature and Website Design.

Of the 95 member papers that entered the contest, 60 will receive honors in at least one category. L.A. Weekly earns the most awards in AltWeekly Awards' history: The paper has 13 finalists in Cartoon, Photography, two web categories and several writing categories. In the large-circulation division, Philadelphia Weekly-PW follows with seven finalists, and Boston Phoenix and Washington City Paper each receive six.

In the small-circulation division, Style Weekly receives the second-most honors in the contest with nine finalists in Editorial Layout, Photography, Ad Design and a variety of criticism categories. Other multi-award recipients include Nashville Scene with six, The Independent Weekly (N.C.) with five, and Orlando Weekly and Tucson Weekly each receive four.

The cut-off between the large- and small-circulation divisions was revised this year, increasing from 50,000 to 60,000.

The Portland Mercury and Independent Weekly (La.) will both receive AltWeekly Awards in the first year they were eligible to participate in the contest, in the Blog and Special Section categories, respectively. Both papers were admitted as members of the association in 2006.

Four writers will receive two awards: Nashville Scene’s Sarah Kelley and Liz Garrigan, as well as Houston Press’ John Nova Lomax and Todd Spivak. Miami New Times’ Michael Shavalier and Orlando Weekly’s Shan Stumpf will receive honors in two design categories. A few others will receive awards as individuals and as team members such as Jackson Free Press' Brian Johnson, Seven Days' Don Eggert, Style Weekly's Scott Elmquist, and Washington City Paper's Ben Claassen. Recent Pulitzer Prize recipient Jonathan Gold will also receive his fourth AltWeekly Award.

Finalists are listed in alphabetical order by newspaper. If four finalists are listed in any given category, it indicates either a tie or an honorable mention. The order of finish will be announced at an awards luncheon at AAN's annual convention in Portland, Ore., from June 14-16.

Links to finalists' work will be added as entrants submit them. Check back for AAN's Flickr photo gallery that showcases the JPGs of the design finalists (as materials become available).



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Ad Design (click for gallery)

Circulation < 60,000



The Coast, The Coast staff, "Free Online Classifieds"

Mountain Xpress, Mountain Xpress staff, "Mountain Xpress House Ads"

Style Weekly, Jeffrey Bland, "The Music Issue Launch Party"



Ad Design (click for gallery)

Circulation > 60,000



Austin Chronicle, Karen Barry, Cassidy Frazier, Dan Hardick, Erin Collier and Aubrey Edwards, "Trade Up"

Chicago Reader, Godfrey Carmona, "Chicago Reader Book Swap"

Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Katie Kaiser, Jane Earle, "Georgia Music Directory"

Washington City Paper, Jason Hutto, Ben Claassen and production staff, "Crafty Bastards Campaign"



Arts Criticism

Circulation < 60,000



The Independent Weekly (N.C.), David Fellerath, "Bait and Switch," "The Coming of the Lord," "Profits on a Plane"

Style Weekly, Thomas Peyser, "Out on the Prairie," "Towers of Babble," "'The Queen's a Human Being?"

The Texas Observer, Steven G. Kellman, "Levy Does America," "Dissenting from the Work Ethic," "Cormac McCarthy Imagines the End"



Arts Criticism

Circulation > 60,000



Boston Phoenix, Jeffrey Ganz, "Good Vibrations?" "Strong, Silent Type," "Shifting Shakespeare"

Chicago Reader, J. R. Jones, "Young Americans," "Mourning Edition," "Teenage Noir"

Salt Lake City Weekly, Scott Renshaw, "Pulp Diction," "Guts and Glory," "Cancelled Trip"

The Village Voice, J. Hoberman, "Anarchy in the UK," "The New Disaster Movie," "Mel Gibson is Responsible for All the Wars in the World"



Arts Feature

Circulation < 60,000



Arkansas Times, David Koon, "Good as Gold" part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Folio Weekly, John E. Citrone, "Unipsycho" (download PDF file)

Santa Barbara Independent, DJ Palladino, "Stick Figure Masterpiece"



Arts Feature

Circulation > 60,000



Chicago Reader, Nicholas Day, "Alpana's Revenge"

Houston Press, John Nova Lomax, "Stealing the Show"

L.A. Weekly, John Albert, "Death, Drugs, Rap and Redemption"

Miami New Times, Lee Klein, "Foie Wars"



Blog

Circulation < 60,000



Arkansas Times, Max Brantley, Warwick Sabin, Arkansas Blog: "Huckabees Registered For Gifts," "Let Me Say," "A Word"

Charleston City Paper, Patrick Sharbaugh, Spoletobuzz: "A Director (or Two) with a Concept," "A Preference for Pentameter," "Parsing Spoleto '06's Most Memorable Moments"

The Portland Mercury, The Portland Mercury staff, Portlandmercury.com: "Smokescreen: Saltzman's Ban on Smoking (and Street Kids)," "Schumacher Fur Protestors Celebrate Anniversary," "There's Nothing Finer Than Sharing a Pig's Head With Your Loved One"



Blog

Circulation > 60,000



Boston Phoenix, Carly Carioli and web staff, On the Download

Dallas Observer, Dallas Observer staff, Unfair Park

L.A. Weekly, Nikki Finke, Deadline Hollywood Daily: "Hollywood Minorities Complain to Me," "Why Hollywood Gets No Work Done," "'Blood Diamond' Director Ed Zwick Blasts Gossip as Appalling ..."



Cartoon (click for gallery)

Cartoons in 3 or less publications



L.A. Weekly, J.T. Steiny, "Native's Notebook"

L.A. Weekly, Dwayne Booth, "Mr. Fish"

Washington City Paper, Ben Claassen, "DirtFarm"



Cartoon (click for gallery)

Cartoons in 4 or more publications



Derf, "The City by Derf"

Ruben Bolling, "Tom the Dancing Bug"

Ted Rall, "Search and Destroy"

Shannon Wheeler, "How to Be Happy"



Column

Circulation < 60,000



Jackson Free Press, Casey Parks, "Pity Would Be No More," "Mississippi: America's Africa," "There Is No Other"

Mountain Xpress, Mark Jamison, "A Stitch in Time," "In Memory of Memories," "Kelsey's Bell"

Orlando Weekly, Steve Schneider, "Dog Playing Poker": "Sketching For Fun and For Prophet," "Rush to Judgement," "Atomic Prom"

Tucson Weekly, Tom Danehy, "Danehy": 1, 2, 3



Column

Circulation > 60,000



L.A. Weekly, Seven McDonald, "24/7": "Remember to Smile," "After the Rapture," "Onward American Soldier"

OC Weekly, Gustavo Arellano, "¡Ask a Mexican!": 1, 2, 3

Philadelphia Weekly - PW, Kia Gregory, "'Round About": "Faheem, We're Sorry," "Ghetto Fiction," "Blown Hopes"



Column - Political

Circulation < 60,000



Folio Weekly, Anne Schindler, "Editor's Note": "Eyes Wide Shut," "Perfect Storm," "Hard Truths" (download PDF files)

Nashville Scene, Liz Garrigan, "Be Very Afraid," "A Valentine to Bill Covington," "Van Hilleary for Senate"

Orlando Weekly, Happytown staff, Happytown: 1, 2, 3

Weekly Alibi, Jim Scarantino, The Real Side: "The Popsicle Prophecy," "The Belly of the Beast," "Staying the Course is Not a Strategy"



Column - Political

Circulation > 60,000



Boston Phoenix, Adam Reilly, "Kennedy Loathing," "Romney's Greatest Gaffes," "Citizen Arrest"

Los Angeles CityBEAT, Andrew Gumbel, "American Babylon": 1, 2, 3

New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Bob Norman, "Who Crowned Michael Brown," "A Politician Weeps," "Mayor Al Has to Go, Bad"



Cover Design (click for gallery)

Circulation < 60,000



Oklahoma Gazette, Oklahoma Gazette cover crew, "Crosstook," "The Watchers," "Vote"

Orlando Weekly, Shan Stumpf, "Happiness is a Concealed Gun," "Murder in the City Beautiful," "Conventional Love"

San Antonio Current, Chuck Kerr, "The Race Issue," "Be Your Own Luchador," "Welcome to the New Drug War"

The Texas Observer, Matt Omohundro, "The Immigration Issue," "Overrated," "Guber-Land"



Cover Design (click for gallery)

Circulation > 60,000



City Pages (Twin Cities), Nick Vleck, "The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much," "I Am a Camera," "Pitchfork Conquers the World"

Miami New Times, Michael Shavalier, "Bad Seed Awards," "Foie Wars," "These Could Be Yours"

Philadelphia Weekly - PW, Sara Green, "Screw Fatso," "Kick Me," "The Sexy Food Issue"

Riverfront Times, Tom Carlson, "One Swill Game," "Brave New Town," "St. Louie Chop Suey"



Editorial Layout (click for gallery)

Circulation < 60,000



C-Ville Weekly, Bill LeSueur, "So Much to Say"

Honolulu Weekly, Ilsa Enomoto, "Fear Factor"

Metro Santa Cruz, Kara Brown, Tabi Zarrinnaal, "Cats (They're Not as Bad as You Think)"

Style Weekly, Ed Harrington, "State of the Plate"



Editorial Layout (click for gallery)

Circulation > 60,000



Boston Phoenix, Kristen Goodfriend, "Big Drinkers"

Boston's Weekly Dig, Paul McMorrow, Joe Keohane, Paul Maybury, "Slumber Party"

Miami New Times, Michael Shavalier, "Death by the Pound"

Washington City Paper, Pete Morelewicz, Alice Lewis, "Mind Your Manors"



Feature Story

Circulation < 60,000



Boulder Weekly, Pamela White, "AIDS: 25 Years in Boulder County" series

Eugene Weekly, Kera Abraham, "Flames of Dissent," "Part II," "Part III," "Part IV," "Part V"

Jackson Free Press, Brian Johnson, "Deepest Midnight: Cedric Willis and the Failure of Mississippi Justice"

Pasadena Weekly, Joe Piasecki, "Throwaway Kids," "Family Business, "No Place Like Home," "In Search of Brian," "Now What?" "A Long Way From Home"



Feature Story

Circulation > 60,000



Houston Press, Todd Spivak,"Hog Wild"

L.A. Weekly, Matthew Fleischer, "Navahoax"

Metro Times, Curt Guyette, "Pulp Friction"

New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Ashley Harrell, "Rebreathe Deep the Gathering Doom"



Food Writing/Criticism

Circulation < 60,000



North Bay Bohemian, Daedalus Howell, "Swirl 'n' Spit": "Gloria Ferrer," "Bartholomew Park," "Wilson Winery"

Style Weekly, Joseph W. Cates, "Almost Fetching," "Blind Date," "Pride of Place"

Tucson Weekly, John Peck, "The Modern Maitre d'," "Cheese With Care," "In the Kitchen"



Food Writing/Criticism

Circulation > 60,000



City Pages (Twin Cities), Dara Moskowitz, "Have It All, Eat It Too," "Urban Fishing," "Carrot Invitational"

L.A. Weekly, Jonathan Gold, "Out of the Flames," "Flesh and Bone," "Bring the Funk"

Westword, Jason Sheehan, "Mama's House," "Sum More, Please," "Wedded Bliss"

Willamette Week, Zach Dundas, "Bean Town"



Format Buster (click for gallery)

Circulation < 60,000



Folio Weekly, Maia Ferrell, "Scariest People"

New Haven Advocate, Hugh Elton, "Smash It Yourself"

Orlando Weekly, Shan Stumpf, "Hey Dems!"

Portland Phoenix, Sara Donnelly and Mike Gorman, "Ugly Portland"



Format Buster (click for gallery)

Circulation > 60,000



Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Doug Monroe and Josh Latta, "The Book of Ralph"

NOW Magazine, Enzo DiMatteo, "Throwing a Curve ...," Clean Coal's Dirty ...," "Stroke of Meanness"

Washington City Paper, John Metcalfe, Robert Ullman and Pete Morelewicz, "Black Guide to Georgetown"



Illustration (click for gallery)

Circulation < 60,000



Seven Days, Thom Glick, "Down to Earth"

Syracuse New Times, Michael Heagerty, "Fits Like a Dove"

The Independent Weekly (N.C.), Tyler Bergholz, "Prince George"



Illustration (click for gallery)

Circulation > 60,000



Philadelphia Weekly - PW, Karen Klassen, "Reading"

Philadelphia Weekly - PW, Tim Gough, "Savage and Santorum"

Riverfront Times, Rick Sealock, "The Split From Hell"

Washington City Paper, Greg Houston, "Impressions of Adams Morgan, Saturday Night"



Immigration

Circulation < 60,000



Colorado Springs Independent, Naomi Zeveloff, "Out of Sight"

Style Weekly, Scott Bass, "Alienated"

Tucson Weekly, Margaret Regan, "Back to Mexico"



Immigration

Circulation > 60,000



Creative Loafing (Tampa), Roxanne Escobales, "Slaves Among Us"

Miami New Times, Emily Witt, "Mock Trial"

Philadelphia Weekly - PW, Kate Kilpatrick, "Mi Casa, Su Casa"



Investigative Reporting

Circulation < 60,000



Independent Weekly (La.), Leslie Turk, "Authement Yanks Rezoning Request," "Access Denied," "Independent Weekly Sues Ray Authement's Office," "University Land Grab," "Buying the Farm," "Rubin Rules," "Ind. Get Copy of Appraisal," "Cover Up,", "Independent Awarded Legal Fess," "Unsolved Mystery"

Jackson Free Press, Brian Johnson, Donna Ladd and Adam Lynch, "On the Road Again," "Melton May Face Felony Charges," "Nightmare on Ridgeway Street," "D-Day For Mayor Frank Melton," "Frankie's Got a Gun," "Can Melton be Removed?" "Another Melton Mentee Back in Jail"

Santa Fe Reporter, Dan Frosch, "The Wexford Files": 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11



Investigative Reporting

Circulation > 60,000



Baltimore City Paper, Edward Ericson Jr., "Collapse": 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Houston Press, Todd Spivak, "Run Over By Metro"



Los Angeles CityBEAT, Michael Collins, "Real Hot Property," "Where the Bodies are Buried," "Digging Up the Dirt," "Nuclear Reactions"

The Village Voice, Kristen Lombardi, "Death by Dust"



Media Reporting/Criticism

Circulation < 60,000



The Independent Weekly (N.C.), Fiona Morgan, "Inside the Herald-Sun," "Technobarons of the 21st Century," "Tangle of Telco Law"

Nashville Scene, Liz Garrigan, "Sad Brad Made Glad," "Quitting and Firing," "Fake News"

Pasadena Weekly, Kevin Uhrich, "Uncovering Project Censored," "And Now the News," "Dead Men Do Tell Tales"

Style Weekly, Greg Weatherford, Greg Lohr, Melissa Scott Sinclair and Brandon Walters, "Tumult at the Richmond Times-Dispatch" series

Media Reporting/Criticism

Circulation > 60,000



Austin Chronicle, Kevin Brass, Media Watch: "Snoring Out Loud," "KUT By the Numbers," "Are You Being Served?"

L.A. Weekly, Daniel Hernandez, "Stirring the Other LA," "Can't We All Calm Down," "Shades of Brown"

Willamette Week, Angela Valdez, "Meth Madness"



Music Criticism

Circulation < 60,000



Creative Loafing (Charlotte), Kandia Crazy Horse, "Singing Cowboys & Englishmen," "Mystery Black Boy," "The Black Atlantic"

Illinois Times, René Spencer Saller, "Rediscovering Kate Bush," "Case of the Missing Heart," The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of"

Memphis Flyer, Chris Herrington, "World of Their Own," "Twenty Years Ago Today," "Justify Your Love?"

San Antonio Current, Gilbert Garcia, "Highway 281 Revisited," "High School Confidential," "Fed-Ex Delivery"



Music Criticism

Circulation > 60,000



Boston Phoenix, James Parker, "Evil Incarnate," "For Pete's Sake," "Bliss and Oblivion"

Houston Press, John Nova Lomax, "Racket": "Just Say No Mas," "Screw October," "The Hype of March"

The Village Voice, Rob Harvilla, "Down in Front": "Crazy For You, But Not That Crazy," "Get Busy Living," "Spankmaster and Servant"



News Story - Long Form

Circulation < 60,000



Metroland, Rick Marshall, "Convention Wisdom"

Missoula Independent, Jessie McQuillan, "What's Wrong With This Picture?"

Nashville Scene, Sarah Kelley, "Denied"



News Story - Long Form

Circulation > 60,000



Houston Press, Craig Malisow, "The Plane Truth"

L.A. Weekly, Christine Pelisek, "Scourge of Skid Row"

Washington City Paper, Ryan Grim, "The Painmaker"



News Story - Short Form

Circulation < 60,000



Nashville Scene, Sarah Kelley, "To Serve and Skedaddle," "Justice Denied," "To Answer Perry March"

New Haven Advocate, Andy Bromage, "Bush Nuts," "Metal Defectors," "Closet Conservatives Storm State Elections"

San Antonio Current, Dave Maass, "The Material Curl," "Tommy Pitches a Tent," "Is No MySpace Sacred?"

Weekly Alibi, Marisa Demarco, "Downtown Fights Back," "Through the Cracks," "Path to a Cure"



News Story - Short Form

Circulation > 60,000



L.A. Weekly, Jeffrey Anderson, "Heap Of Trouble," "Sex, Justice and the D.A.'s Office," "The Steve and Bob Show"

Philadelphia Weekly - PW, Steve Volk, "We Have a 2-Year-Old Daughter," "If You Get Shot, We'll Show Up," "Do We Not Bleed?"

Pittsburgh City Paper, Charlie Deitch, "Lots From Slots?" "Betting on Addiction," "Private Dick"

Salt Lake City Weekly, Ted McDonough, "Crossing the Line," "Beware the Fly," "A Bridge Too Far"



Photography (click for gallery)

Circulation < 60,000



The Independent Weekly (N.C.), Lissa Gotwals, "Central Park South"

Nashville Scene, Eric England, "Songs From the Workbench"

Style Weekly, Scott Elmquist, Stephen Salpukas, "Hidden Richmond"

Style Weekly, Scott Elmquist, "The Mourning After"



Photography (click for gallery)

Circulation > 60,000



Boston Phoenix, Tanit Sakakini, "Horror Couple With Spooky the Hairless Cat"

L.A. Weekly, Kevin Scanlon, "People Issue"

Philadelphia Weekly - PW, Jeff Fusco, "The Out of Towner"

Riverfront Times, Jennifer Silverberg, "Going Down Slow"



Special Section (click for gallery)

Circulation < 60,000



Independent Weekly (La.), The Independent Weekly staff, "Katrina and Rita: One Year Later"

Nashville Scene, Nashville Scene staff, "Best of Nashville"

North Bay Bohemian, North Bay Bohemian staff, "The Bohemian's Best of the North Bay 2006"



Special Section (click for gallery)

Circulation > 60,000



Boston's Weekly Dig, Boston's Weekly Dig staff, "A Freshman's Guide to Boston"

L.A. Weekly, L.A. Weekly staff, "Best of L.A."

Willamette Week, Byron Beck, "Restaurant Guide"



Website Content Feature

Circulation < 60,000



The Independent Weekly (N.C.), Derek Anderson, "Me Against Me"

Seven Days, Cathy Resmer, Matthew Thorsen, Don Eggert, "Bombs Away"

Weekly Alibi, Jerry Cornelius, "Ecstatic Technology"



Website Content Feature

Circulation > 60,000



Austin Chronicle, Austin Chronicle staff, "Am I McMansion or Not?"

Baltimore City Paper, Tim Hill, "No Cover: The Baltimore City Paper Local Music Guide"

Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Mara Shalhoup, Alejandro Leal and Edward Adams, "BMF: Hip-Hop's Shadowy Empire"



Website Design

Circulation < 60,000



Seven Days, Don Eggert, www.sevendaysvt.com

Style Weekly, Style Weekly staff, Copeland Casati and Chris Hull, www.styleweekly.com

Tucson Weekly, Tucson Weekly staff, www.tucsonweekly.com



Website Design

Circulation > 60,000



City Pages (Twin Cities), City Pages staff, www.citypages.com

L.A. Weekly, L.A. Weekly staff, www.laweekly.com

Metro Times, Metro Times staff, www.metrotimes.com