First place: Carrie Seidman, The Herald-Tribune

About this entry: “In ‘The S Word: The Stigma of Schizophrenia,’ veteran journalist Carrie Seidman presented a portrait of the disease in a way the media rarely does – from the inside out. Her own personal journey with her son, diagnosed at 22 with schizoaffective disorder, is the heart of a special section which featured original illustrations by a local artist diagnosed with schizophrenia. Also included was the story of a young man whose family’s efforts to hide a genetic strain of mental illness very nearly resulted in tragedy.” — Bill Church, Herald-Tribune executive editor

Read online: The S Word, Forum aims to find alternatives to jail for the mentally ill

Watch online: Sarasota Herald-Tribune Presents Hot Topics – Mental Health

Follow Carrie on Twitter @CarrieSeidman

Carrie Seidman’s portrait of schizophrenia is breathtaking on its own. But packaged with excellent page design and a multimedia component, it is a fantastic example of how multi-platform storytelling can be used to engage an audience.

Second place: Susannah Elliott, The Columbus Dispatch

About this entry:

“Columbus Answers takes questions submitted by readers, through social media and through a form at Dispatch.com/answers, and finds the answers to their queries about central Ohio.

Callouts for question submissions have been featured on the Dispatch.com home page, in the print edition of the newspaper, on social media and in a column by editor Alan Miller, both online and in print.” — Susannah Elliott

Check it out: Columbus Answers landing page. Plus, read answers to some of the top questions: Did they ever rebuild the old mansion stored in pieces at Franklin Park?, Why do intersections have different audible crosswalk signals?, Why isn’t central Ohio trick-or-treating always on Halloween?, What will happen to former Columbus State Hospital land on the West Side?, Has anybody refused hospital’s Buckeyes-themed newborn blankets?

Follow Susannah on Twitter @XanaE

The heart of our mission as journalists is to engage with readers by answering questions that impact their life. Columbus Answers does just that – from information about warming your car to trick-or-treating times – there’s no better way to engage an audience than giving them answers to the questions they need. A great investment by the editorial team.

Third place: Phil Luciano, Chris Grimm and Dennis Anderson, Journal Star

About this entry: This trio’s “101 Things That Play in Peoria” started out as a daily reader-submitted item, which would grow to include sponsored prize giveaways for correctly guessing the next day’s section and eventually the publication of a book of a complete list of items, which was cross promoted with local television stations.

Check it out: 101 Things That Play

Follow Phil on Twitter @LucianoPhil, Chris on Twitter @Grimm643 and Dennis on Twitter @dennisedit

A fantastic multimedia package, along with a critical eye for design, should earn the staff who produced 101 Things That Play in Peoria commendation for their innovative work.