By: Jeff Himler

The Tribune-Review captured eight Golden Quill Awards and was a finalist for more than a dozen others at the 59th annual awards dinner Tuesday, May 30 at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania announced the winners of the Golden Quills, a competition that honors professional and student excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia.

“ ‘A Complete Miracle’: The 20th Anniversary of the Quecreek Mine Rescue,” by Renatta Signorini, Paul Peirce and Deb Erdley, was a Division 1 winner for Excellence in Written Journalism in the News Feature category.

Tribune-Review finalists in that category included “Roberto Clemente: Keeping the Dream Alive” by Tom Fontaine and “Franco Harris Transcended Football in Retirement With Array of Business Ventures, Interests” by Jonathan D. Silver.

“Roberto Clemente: Keeping the Dream Alive” also was a winner in Excellence in Journalistic Craft Achievement, in the Video Essay category, for Sean Stipp and Fontaine. It was a finalist in the Enterprise/Investigative and Sports writing categories for Fontaine.
Stipp and Signorini’s “The John Unger Story” was a Video Essay finalist.

In the Arts/Entertainment category, Shirley McMarlin wrote an entry that was a winner — “After ‘America’s Got Talent’ Run, Singer Aubrey Burchell Settles Into Life After the Limelight.” She also was a finalist in the category, with “Western Pa. Arts, Cultural Organizations Rebuild Post-Pandemic Programs, Audiences.”
In the Editorials category, Lori Falce won with a combination of three editorials: “Say Marc Fogel’s Name and Bring Him Home From Russia, Mr. President,” “Budget Passing Is Bare Minimum” and “Fix Income Ceilings for Property Tax and Rent Rebates — Permanently.” She was a finalist with a combination of three others: “Without Gift Ban, Bribery Is All but Legal in Pennsylvania,” “Without Gift Ban, Harrisburg Is the Wild West” and “Senate Needs to Give Pennsylvanians a Gift Ban.”

In the Columns/Blogs category, Falce won with Lori Falce on Health Care and Mark Madden was a finalist with his columns.

Other Tribune-Review winners in written journalism categories included:
Education — “Tuition Border Wars: Using Penn State Threshold, SUNY the Latest to Target Pa. High Schoolers” by Bill Schackner;
History/Culture — “Herbie in Hempfield: Local Builds His Own ‘Love Bug’ ” by Maddie Aiken;
Science/Environment — “Researchers: Fireflies Are Being Threatened by Artificial Light, Habitat Loss” by Mary Ann Thomas.

The Tribune-Review had several other entries included among the award program’s finalists:
Written Journalism, Medical/Health — “Finding Hope Amid Darkness” by Megan Guza; “Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas Embrace Parents Through the Loss of a Baby” by JoAnne Klimovich Harrop;
Criticism — Rob Owen columns;
Lifestyle — “W.Pa. LGBTQ Community, Allies Share Hope, Reservations on Respect for Marriage Act” by Jeff Himler;
Sports — Steelers beat writing by Joe Rutter;
Sports Videography — “Swim With Sidnie Shirey” by Louis B. Ruediger;
Spot News Photo — “Haskins Service” by Chaz Palla;
Feature Videography — “The Modelaires” by Stipp and Chris Benson; “Wildcat: The Peaks and Valleys of Laurel Mountain Ski Resort” by Stipp, Benson and Steve Adams;
Photo Essay — “After 2-Year Wait, High School Girls Hockey Team Skated Into Inaugural Season” by Kristina Serafini.

Also during the evening, the Press Club honored Deborah L. Acklin, former president and CEO of WQED Multimedia, with its President’s Award, and the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and Monsignor Thomas J. McSweeney, former director of the Diocese of Erie Communications Office and former executive editor of Faith magazine, with Service to Journalism awards.

Penn State University rising senior Lauren Haffner of Squirrel Hill won the 2023 Bob Fryer Memorial Scholarship, and Shippensburg University rising senior Allyson Ritchey of Hopewell, Bedford County, won the 2023 Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Scholarship.

The event’s premier sponsor is Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield & Allegheny Health Network, and the lead sponsor is UPMC. Underwriting sponsors are the Heinz Endowments, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Trib Total Media.

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania is a nonprofit organization of journalists and other communications professionals from a 29-county area of Western Pennsylvania. It sponsors forums on current events and educational programs and presents the annual Golden Quill Awards.