City & State wins six New York Press Association awards

City & State took home a first place prize for its coverage of politics and elections in 2016, while reporters Frank G. Runyeon and Justin Sondel won top New York Press Association awards as well. The awards were announced earlier this month. 

Runyeon won the coveted feature story award for his in-depth profile of state Sen. Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who has caucused with Republicans ever since taking office, positioning himself as a pivotal figure in Albany’s narrowly divided upper house.  

“Any profile piece worth its weight includes not just quotes from the subject but other tidbits that really offer a look into who the person is,” the judges wrote in their assessment of the piece, titled “Who is Simcha Felder?” “Sen. Felder might not know exactly who he is, but Frank Runyeon does a hell of a job painting a portrait by including small details many writers do not consider – Felder’s gestures, his slight recline in his seat, his wry grin. Excellent job.”

Sondel garnered the top prize in the best news or feature series category for “Beyond the Billion,” his three-part story analyzing the impact of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion economic development initiative. The story put a spotlight on the East Side, a part of Buffalo where residents haven't felt much of an impact. After the story's publication, a portion of a new round of state funding approved this year was specifically earmarked to target the neighborhood.

“Powerful story, powerful photography,” the judges wrote. “I love that Justin took one person’s experience and tied into what is happening in Buffalo.”

Runyeon and Sondel teamed up with Sarina Trangle, City & State’s City Hall reporter, and Albany reporter Ashley Hupfl to deliver the year’s best election coverage.

“The writing and reporting are superb, the tone never shrill,” the judges wrote. “While the approach is balanced and fair, this publication does not pull punches. In short, this is great work, and stands as a model of excellence for other newspapers. City & State shows how interesting political coverage can be when it’s approached in an interesting fashion by smart people. Good job!”

Runyeon also garnered a third place prize for his three-part “Failing Health” series on abuse and neglect in nursing homes in New York, which was praised for its “extensive reporting” on an “interesting topic” that was presented with “eye-catching design.”

Art Director Guillaume Federighi notched another third-place win in the best special section cover category for “The Real Wall,” a depiction of U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer as the primary obstacle to President Donald Trump achieving his priorities. The judges deemed it “an excellent political play on words" that "tells the striking visual story of exactly what the new president can expect and what readers can expect of the story.”

Finally, City & State won its first-ever prize for best blooper of the year. Honestly, we didn’t plan it that way.