Times Union wins 11 awards from state News Publishers Association

ALBANY — The Times Union won 11 Awards for Excellence for 2021 from the state News Publishers Association in categories that included breaking news, special sections, opinion writing, headline writing, page design and photography.

Competing in the 50,000-75,000 circulation category, the paper won the Distinguished Breaking News Coverage prize for its work on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation last August.

NYNPA honored two of the Times Union’s special sections: last summer’s edition of Upstate Traveler as Best Features Supplement and a Black History Month section from February 2021 as Distinguished News Supplement.

The paper’s photo staff took the top prize in Distinguished News Photography for coverage of the clearing of an activists’ encampment outside the Albany Police Deprtment’s South Station in April 2021. Most of the action was shot by Paul Buckowski, with additional images by Lori Van Buren and reporters Rob Gavin and Eduardo Medina.

Van Buren took home two awards, for Distinguished Sports Photography and Distinguished Features Photography, while photo editor Will Waldron won for Distinguished Online Photo Gallery for his images from the “ring of fire” solar eclipse viewing.

Chris Churchill won for Distinguished Column Writing, while Kristi Barlette was honored for Distinguished Online Blog.

Greg Dayton took top honors for Distinguished Headline Writing (“Blend of the day: Incognito Grande” capped a story about Stewart’s Shops having to go without its beloved logo coffee cups due to supply-chain issues) and Distinguished Page Design/Presentation.

“The range of these awards shows that the talents of the Times Union’s staff reach across departments,” the paper’s editor and vice president Casey Seiler said. “In a remarkable year for news, these journalists informed and delighted our communities every day.”