MAINE PRESS ASSOCIATION BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST
The 2022 Maine Press Association Better Newspaper Contest Awards were announced Oct. 22. Here are the Portland Press Herald’s award-winning stories, columns, projects and photography.
Press Herald wins 60-plus awards in Maine Press Association contest
Among the honors: PressHerald.com won first place for general excellence in the digital category, and the Maine Sunday Telegram won the weekend category.
FIRST PLACE STORIES
Man shot by Portland police says he wanted officer to kill him
Edward Hyman says he was desperate, depressed and out of options when he attempted ‘suicide by cop’ Oct. 9 outside the Preble Street Resource Center.
Bureaucratic error: Driver in bad crash in Oxford County shouldn’t have had a license
Convicted last summer of vehicular manslaughter, Ethan Rioux-Poulios should have been barred from driving for a decade. But an error by the courts and the BMV allowed him to keep his license. On Friday, he critically injured a woman in a police chase that ended in a wreck.
‘How much of this am I supposed to take?’: Low morale and pay are driving attorneys from indigent legal services
About 150 attorneys have stopped taking court appointments since December 2020.
Boys’ basketball: Cooper Flagg leads Nokomis to its first state championship
The freshman controls the game with a 22-point, 16-rebound effort as the Warriors defeat Falmouth, 43-27, in the Class A final.
One year on, the Jan. 6 attack looms large in the lives of Mainers who were there
The march on the Capitol unfolded with Mainers on opposite sides of the police barricades until one side toppled them, shaking the foundations of American democracy.
Portland has changed and you can really smell the difference
A generation ago the city’s signature smells included J.J. Nissen Bakery, Jordan’s Meats and the soon-to-close B&M Baked Beans plant. Today the city’s aroma includes whiffs of coffee roasting, food trucks, breweries and oil tanks.
The story of how lobster became the symbol of Maine
The Rockefellers, a smart marketing campaign and the ritual of cracking into one all played roles in making lobster intrinsic to the state’s identity.
‘A 21st century Shaker story’
The three people living in the world’s only active Shaker community plan for the future.
THE LOBSTER TRAP
The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine. A way of life is on the line, but lobstermen can’t, or won’t, imagine another.
Photography: FIRST PLACE, PICTURE STORY
FIRST PLACE, LOCAL COLUMNIST
FIRST PLACE, FEATURE VIDEO
SECOND PLACE STORIES
Room at the inn: A South Portland hotel goes all out to help asylum seekers
General Manager Michelle Sandman has transformed the Quality Inn & Suites into a village atmosphere for asylum seekers who have overflowed Portland’s family shelter.
Hazing incidents can have ripple effects for years to come
Experts say any punishments from Brunswick’s investigation into hazing allegations should not be seen as the final step in curbing abusive group behavior.
Ticket agent struggles with guilt, trauma over two decades
The American Airlines agent who gave two of the 9/11 terrorists their boarding passes from Portland to Boston is haunted by that unthinkable day.
Photography: SECOND PLACE, PICTURE STORY
SECOND PLACE EDITORIAL
Our View: Susan Collins lets us down on voting rights
Maine’s thin-skinned senior senator fails to meet a historic moment.
Our View: Local zoning drives high housing costs around Maine
Municipal officials don’t have to answer to the people who can’t afford to live in their community.
Winning photos
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less