Review-Journal sports wins prestigious APSE Grand Slam
The Las Vegas Review-Journal sports department won the Grand Slam in the 2022 Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, taking home one of the nation’s highest sports journalism honors for the second time in three years.
The Review-Journal was one of just six sports sections to earn APSE’s most prestigious award this year. A total of 147 news organizations competed in the contest.
The Grand Slam consists of Top 10 finishes in the Print, Project, Event and Digital categories. In total, the Review-Journal earned eight Top 10 awards, adding honors in the Special Section, Explanatory, Action Photo and Feature Photo categories.
The winning entries will be honored at the APSE annual convention at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, July 9-12.
Joining the Review-Journal as Grand Slam winners were the Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
“The Review-Journal is in excellent company as one of the country’s very best sports departments,” Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook said Saturday. “Las Vegas has emerged as one of the nation’s biggest sports markets, and we have a great team telling the city’s story.”
The Review-Journal’s Print entry featured coverage of the Aces winning the WNBA championship, the NHL All-Star Game, Pro Bowl weekend and the Raiders.
The RJ’s Project entry featured an investigation into turmoil in the Raiders’ front office. It was reported and written by Briana Erickson, Mick Akers and the late Jeff German.
Coverage of the Raiders’ historic hiring of Sandra Douglass Morgan as team president was the entry in Event coverage. Adam Hill, Mick Akers, Ed Graney and Heidi Fang covered the story in print and video.
The Digital entry, prepared by Digital Sports Manager Rochelle Richards, featured the RJ’s interactive guide to the 2022 NFL draft in Las Vegas, an in-depth profile of new Raiders president Sandra Douglass Morgan, a behind-the-scenes look at the “bite” of the century, a report card looking at the Raiders’ performances each month and an episode of Vegas Nation Blitz where former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr breaks down in tears following the team’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Review-Journal also received Top 10 honors in the following categories:
■ Special Section, for the RJ’s 2022 NFL draft preview. The section was designed by John Hornberg.
■ Explanatory, for a story by Mark Anderson on Las Vegas’ emergence as a popular destination for major sporting events.
■ Action Photo, by Erik Verduzco of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez connecting on a punch against Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin, in the fifth round of a super middleweight title bout at T-Mobile Arena.
■ Feature Photo, by L.E. Baskow of Trick and Roman rider Jessica Fowlkes following a horse about a smoke-filled ring in the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Also making a major contribution were graphic artists Wes Rand and Severiano Galvin. They produced the graphics for the NFL draft preview special section, the section’s print cover and the Raiders’ report card.
Director of Digital Design Tony Morales handled the digital presentation for the NFL draft preview section, the Raiders’ report card, the Mike Tyson “Bite” of the century story and the coverage of the Raiders’ naming Sandra Douglas Morgan as team president.