Quick Take
Lookout Santa Cruz made its mark Saturday at the California Newspaper Publishers Association gala in Burbank, with Kevin Painchaud taking home the major photojournalism award in the state and Wallace Baine and Christopher Neely winning first place in their respective categories.
We’re glad to share that Lookout won several top awards, announced on Saturday evening, at the California Newspaper Publishers Association gala in Burbank. Kevin Painchaud won the major photojournalism award in the state for his now-iconic image of the 2023 winter storms, the same image that led much of the coverage of Lookout’s Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in May.
That image pictured Eric Stark assessing his “dream home” that sits between Beach Drive and Rio Del Mar State Beach in Aptos as he clears out all of his belongings. The combination of huge swells and high tides completely knocked out the front wall of his house and flooded the first floor of the home he had owned since 2018.
Kevin also won a first-place award in Division 5, the category Lookout competed within.
Of the photo, the judges wrote, “Amazing illustration of the devastation from a bomb cyclone that battered the Santa Cruz coast. Great composition and lighting propels this image to the top of the list.”
In that same division, Wallace Baine also won first place for his columns and Christopher Neely first place for his coverage of local government.
Of Wallace’s work, judges wrote, “Passionate voice about the community who actively seeks to educate the reader while painting a vivid picture with his words”
Further, Lily Belli and Hillary Ojeda were shortlisted in the same division for their food and education coverage, respectively.
Of Hillary’s work, judges wrote, “A journalist’s job is to ask questions without having to get permission from PR officials. Kudos to the writer for pushing back and refusing to be managed.”
Of Lily’s work, judges wrote, “An engaging trio of stories, led by the well-researched, highly educational feature about the rise of virtual, delivery-only kitchens that brand-name restaurants use to produce extra revenue. The story about Lago di Como provided a vivid narrative of the restaurant’s makeover, including the desires and life changes of the people behind it. Descriptions of menu highlights were luscious and inviting. And the third story, about the makeover of a popular Santa Cruz dive bar, offered a mini-history of the recent renovations in certain Santa Cruz neighborhoods and the very engaging story of a local entrepreneur and his updated vision for the old watering hole.”
In this first year that Lookout competed in these statewide press awards, we are glad to see all these correspondents’ fine and everyday work recognized, and, by definition, the underlying work of the whole newsroom crew, including managing editor Tamsin McMahon and copy and newsletter editor Will McCahill. Say congrats when you see them.
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