Photojournalist earns top prize in interstate contest

Photojournalist Benjamin Krain of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette won the top award in the Print-Graphics division of the 64th Annual Green Eyeshade Awards journalism competition for work in 2013, the awards' sponsors announced Monday.

Krain also won first place for feature photography in the newspapers category of the Print-Graphics division. His entry portfolio included pictures of a restoration project at the Arkansas Capitol, a youngster diving into a pool and the burning of rice field stubble.

Fellow photojournalist Rick McFarland took first place for newspaper spot news photography. His portfolio included a picture of a police officer using a stun gun on a man trying to cut himself and photos from two shooting scenes.

The Democrat-Gazette's coverage of the Pegasus oil pipeline rupture in Mayflower won first place in the disaster coverage category among all daily newspapers in the annual regional journalism contest.

Reporters Debra Hale-Shelton, Lisa Hammersly, Jessica Seaman and Sean Beherec were singled out for key articles in the newspaper's coverage of the oil spill that threatened Lake Conway and forced the evacuation of dozens of families from their homes.

The newspaper was awarded third place for public service in daily journalism for news stories and editorials about a multimillion-dollar deficit in the University of Arkansas' fundraising division that led to at least three investigations and legislative hearings.

Begun in 1950, the Green Eyeshade Awards recognize journalistic excellence in eight divisions and 83 categories from 11 Southern states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. The divisions include daily and nondaily newspapers, magazines, graphics radio, television, newsletters, and online journalism.

A single top award, the Green Eyeshade, is chosen from among the first-place winners in each division. This year's Green Eyeshade went to Megan O'Matz and John Maines of the Sun Sentinel of Florida for their investigative series that exposed how a small Broward County town's undercover narcotics unit made millions of dollars in seized cash and property, racked up large amounts of overtime and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to informants through questionable sting operations.

Metro on 05/13/2014

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