Good Times has won first place for General Excellence in the 2022 California Journalism Awards, the California Newspaper Publishers Association announced on Friday. This is the third year a row that GT has won the top prize for largest-circulation weekly newspapers in the state.
In announcing the first-place award, CJA judges said of GT: “Attractive, engaging design; great mix of news, features and entertainment; nice photography and other visuals; and packed with information. A solid total package, with a distinctive community voice.”
GT was also recognized for its cover design, with a first-place win in the Front Page Layout and Design category, and its arts coverage, with a fifth-place win in the Arts and Entertainment category.
The paper had two wins in the Feature Story category, with Erin Malsbury winning first place for her cover story “The Secret Life of Sea Snails,” and Steve Palopoli winning third place for his story about the return of Santa Cruz Shakespeare, “Planning Stages.”
Malsbury won another first-place award in the Agricultural Reporting category for her story “Uncharted Water,” about drought solutions being explored in Santa Cruz County, and fifth place in the Coverage of the Covid-19 Pandemic category for her story about the effect of lockdowns on the local ecosystem, “Our Hushed World.” Palopoli won first place in the Best Sports Feature Story category for “Distance Learning,” his story about running in the pandemic. Adam Joseph won first place in the Best Profile Story category for his profile of Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, “Ramblin’ On.”
Tony Nunez won third place in the Best Land-Use Reporting category for his story “Growing Pains,” about Watsonville green space, and Todd Guild won third place in the Best Coverage of Youth and Education category for his reporting on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees scandal, entitled “Worst School Week Ever.”
