A series of stories written by The Business Journal’s Edward Smith has once again taken top honors in the 2022 George F. Gruner journalism competition.

Smith’s “Tsunami Series” about the impending wave of evictions related to Covid-19 in 2021 examined the challenges faced by renters and landlords alike.

Smith’s work won the Public Service award in the “Weeklies” category of the Gruner awards, named for George Gruner, former editor of “The Fresno Bee” who refused to name a vulnerable source against a judge’s order. He was among the “Fresno Bee Four” who spent 15 days in jail in 1976.

Gruner retired in 1988.

The awards were established by The McClatchy Co. and are run by the Fresno State Department of Media, Communications and Journalism.

Last year, Smith’s story headlined “Building on Blackstone” won a Gruner award in the category of Best News Story for weeklies.

Smith’s story about the one-year anniversary of Project Homekey in Fresno won an honorable mention this year for weeklies in the Best News Story category.

Here is the complete list of winners of the 2022 Gruner Awards for newspapers in the region.

 

HIGH SCHOOLS

Best feature/profile story

Honorable mention – Stevi Valenzuela, Minarets Press

Winner – Mallory Scott, Sanger Hi-Lights

Best news/enterprise story

Honorable mention – Sofia Braz, Hazel Taintor, Minarets Press

Winner – Vincent Garcia, Sanger Hi-Lights

 

BEST COLUMN

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Jon Hammond, Tehachapi News

Winner – Paul Myers, The Sun-Gazette

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – James Ward, Visalia Times-Delta

Winner – Donald Promnitz, Hanford Sentinel

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Robert Price, The Bakersfield Californian

Winner – Marek Warszawski, The Fresno Bee

 

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

Weeklies

Honorable mention – David Waters, The Mountain Enterprise

Winner – Nick Smirnoff, Tehachapi News

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Craig Kohlruss, The Fresno Bee

Winner – Alex Horvath, The Bakersfield Californian

 

BEST SPORTS FEATURE STORY

Weeklies

Honorable mention — Ron Stapp, Tehachapi News

Winner – Allen Laman, Mariposa Gazette

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – Shawn Jansen, Merced Sun-Star

Winner – Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Ron Stapp, The Bakersfield Californian

Winner – Robert Kuwada, The Fresno Bee

 

BEST NEWS/FEATURE PHOTO

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Nick Smirnoff, Tehachapi News

Winner – David Waters, The Mountain Enterprise

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Alex Horvath, The Bakersfield Californian

Winner – John Walker, The Fresno Bee

 

BEST FEATURE STORY

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Allen Laman, Mariposa Gazette

Winner – Claudia Elliott, Tehachapi News

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – Abbie Lauten-Scrivner, Merced Sun-Star

Winner – Parker Bowman, Hanford Sentinel

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Carmen George, The Fresno Bee

Winner – Steven Mayer, The Bakersfield Californian

 

BEST NEWS STORY

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Edward Smith, The Business Journal

Winner – Greg Little, Mariposa Gazette

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – Abbie Lauten-Scrivner, Merced Sun-Star

Winner – Joshua Yeager, Visalia Times-Delta

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – John Cox, The Bakersfield Californian

Winner – Yesenia Amaro, The Fresno Bee

 

PUBLIC SERVICE

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Ben Irwin, The Sun-Gazette

Winner – Edward Smith, The Business Journal

Small newspapers

Honorable mention — Abbie Lauten-Scrivner, Merced Sun-Star

Winner – Donald Promnitz, Hanford Sentinel

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Cassandra Garibay and Monica Vaughan, The Fresno Bee

Winner – ChrisAnna Mink and Erin Tracy, The Modesto Bee