Dayton Daily News wins awards in state journalism competition

Sugarcreek Twp. resident and World War II veteran, James "Pee Wee" Martin was laid to rest Wednesday Sept. 21, 2022, at the Dayton National Cemetery. This is one of the photographs for which Dayton Daily News photographer Jim Noelker has been honored by the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Association. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Sugarcreek Twp. resident and World War II veteran, James "Pee Wee" Martin was laid to rest Wednesday Sept. 21, 2022, at the Dayton National Cemetery. This is one of the photographs for which Dayton Daily News photographer Jim Noelker has been honored by the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Association. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

The Dayton Daily News won multiple awards in the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists’ Ohio’s Best Journalism Contest.

The newspaper and its staff won four awards in the larger newspaper category of the contest sponsored by the Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) chapters statewide

Winning awards were:

Best Business/Consumer Reporting: Tom Gnau, second place. Tom’s submissions included stories on how Sidney landed a huge investment from Semcorp, a Shanghai, China-based producer of electric vehicle battery components, and the workforce impact of the giant Intel and Honda projects in Ohio.

Best Feature Reporting: Tom Archdeacon, second place. Tom’s entries included columns about the area’s longtime champion of Holocaust remembrance and understanding and a family’s efforts to turn their father’s World War II letters into a book that will impact readers.

Best Photographer in Ohio: Jim Noelker, second place. Jim’s photos included a powerful image from the funeral of beloved World War II veteran James “Pee Wee” Martin (at the top of this story) and other work throughout the year.

Best Sports Coverage: Jeff Gilbert, first place. Jeff, a freelancer reporter for the Dayton Daily News, won this award in the Best Digital Media/Freelance category.