BizTimes Milwaukee received four national journalism awards at the annual Alliance of Area Business Publishers (AABP) annual editorial excellence awards, held Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
There were entries from 46 publications in the U.S., Canada and Australia in the awards contest, which was judged by faculty members of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
BizTimes.com received a Silver Award for “Best Website,” finishing behind only Crain’s Chicago Business which won the Gold Award in the category. Arkansas Business received the Bronze Award in the website category.
“Milwaukee’s BizTimes delivers a strong business voice for the city,” the judges said. “Its website features good use of photos and illustrations that engage readers with the site. The rotating story gallery keeps a fresh feel to the website’s home page, while the addition of reader polls, events and Twitter feed help extend engagement with the audience. The BizTimes efforts are likely to keep people reading well past the homepage.”
Material for the BizTimes website is compiled each day by editor Andrew Weiland, managing editor Molly Dill, and reporters Corrinne Hess, Arthur Thomas and Ben Stanley. The redesigned website, which debuted in October, was designed by Brookfield-based Lanex LLC. The redesign project was led by BizTimes Media director of strategic initiatives Jon Anne Willow, with involvement from BizTimes staff including publisher Dan Meyer, Weiland and Dill.
Hess received the Gold Award for “Best Recurring Feature” in the medium-sized publication group, for her Real Estate Spotlight column, which appears in each issue of the publication.
“Extensive reporting and capable writing take this real estate column to the level of excellence,” the judges said. “Each column deftly weaves financial and market data with elements of history, architecture, trends and lifestyle. The result is an expansive look at an always fascinating subject.”
BizTimes received a Bronze Award in the “Best Front Page: Newspaper” for the design of the Jan. 26, 2015 Economic Trends issue, with a cover headline of “Ramp it up!” The BizTimes design staff consists of art director Shelly Tabor and graphic designer Alex Schneider.
“BizTimes Milwaukee presents a bold and clean front page with a clear message,” the judges said. “Of particular note is the use of the grey and blue tones in contrast with the red script. The color contrast gave the page a whole new layer to consider. The layering is important to note because the design already shows off a sophisticated use of layering from the skyline to the bull rider and shadow. The design elements all contributed to a fun approach for a trend story and was an interesting way to guide the reader to the material.”
Crain’s Chicago Business won the Silver Award in the front page design category and Crain’s Cleveland Business won the Gold Award in the category.
BizTimes Milwaukee also won a Gold Award for “Best Ancillary Publication” in the medium-sized group, for the Wisconsin Biz publication. Production of Wisconsin Biz is led by Willow.
“The writing and topics overall are strong in this publication, with a mix of staff written and sponsored reports,” the judges said. “It has well-thought out packages and is visually strong. The education section is deep and solid, providing massive insight into the state’s current status, progress and plans for the future.”
