The Florida Society of News Editors awarded the Orlando Sentinel three first-place prizes this year for its work in breaking news, editorials and features video.
Sentinel staff took first place in breaking news for collaborating on the Epic Universe opening, providing coverage on wait times, a ride guide for the park and a timeline of how the theme park evolved.
Krys Fluker was recognized for her editorial work on the state painting over the Pulse rainbow crosswalk.
Finally, Rich Pope won for his video feature on the “Central Floridian of the Year.”
The news organization also took home five second-place finishes.
Sentinel staff won a second place award for breaking news for coverage of the Pulse crosswalk, while reporters Ryan Gillespie and Natalia Jaramillo received a prize for enterprise stories on immigration, Mike Bianchi received one for sports and Rich Pope nabbed one for a video, “Restaurant of the Year.”
Edgar Thompson and Wesley Alden won second place in the multimedia category for their “Swamp Things” podcast, which is a deep dive into the Florida Gators’ sports teams.
For third place, Krys Fluker took home an award for editorials on U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, Steven Walker was honored for education beat reporting and Scott Maxwell for his columns. Editor-in-chief Roger Simmons received an award for his photo feature “Ticked Pink: Flamingos at Merritt Island” while Joe Burbank took home an award for a photo story, “Beauty of the Blue Spring.”
“Our newsroom’s primary goal is creating unique and important stories to help our readers navigate their lives in an increasingly chaotic, confusing world,” said Roger Simmons, executive editor of the Sentinel. “We’re grateful for our peers’ recognition that some of our work is among the best in the state.”