Editorial Top Awards - 2021
Category description: Entries in this category require the writer to build arguments on fact and logic to address a certain issue. An editorial should state a position and convince the reader of the need for action. ONE column is submitted as a single entry. Number of entries: 15
“The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact in all facets of North American life provided countless, fresh opportunities for editorial writers beyond the traditional feast of potential topics. Although there were only 15 entries in the Editorial category, thinning them wasn’t easy. It often came down to which entry best fit the criteria to address an issue and provide a convincing call for action. Some entries, although well written, were more analysis or column than editorial. They didn’t fit the criteria. (Some were more technical than others, but that’s to be expected in trade journals). As usual, readers of newspapers, wire services and trade magazines were well-served in 2020 by all the writers who submitted entries in this NAAJ contest. The entries were variously informative, entertaining and thought provoking.”
1st Place: Greg Hillyer, DTN/Progressive Farmer
Lessons From a Pandemic — 6/01/2020
Judge’s comments: Identifies three problems in agriculture the pandemic exposed or emphasized — kinks in the food supply chain, the digital divide and rural medical resources. Calls for specific remedies for each, even if it’s a simple call for collaboration. Clearly written and gets to the point.
2nd Place: Urban Lehner,
DTN/Progressive Farmer
An Industrial Policy Lincoln Would Like — 7/20/2020
Judge’s comments: Harkens back to President Lincoln's landmark 1862 initiatives (Homestead Act, creation of USDA, establishing land-grant colleges, and linking East and West by rail) that could be a template for a national industrial policy in 21st-century America. Clearly written, Lays out the shortcomings in differing approaches by 2020 presidential candidates Biden and Trump.
3rd Place:
Jennifer Latzke,
High Plains Journal
Lack of child care makes the rural house of cards wobbly — 11/23/2020
Judge’s comments: Vividly makes a strong case for promoting child care in rural America, a service for which the need has long been evident but exacerbated by the pandemic.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
— Laura Rance, Winnipeg Free Press
Value role of every link in food supply chain — 6/6/2020
Judge’s comments: Good, clear commentary on the uncomfortable truth the pandemic exposed regarding the unmet supply and demand between Canadian agriculture and student labor.
— Allan Dawson, Manitoba Co-operator
Farmer-owned AAFC? — 8/27/2020
Judge’s comments: Although more technical than the four other award-winning entries — the issue of getting farmers to pay more for plant breeding research — the editorial addresses a specific problem and provides a specific solution. It also has a great lede: “In 2019 Canadian farmers grossed almost $37 billion from crop sales. Each started with a seed.”