ACES: The Society for Editing is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 National Headline Contest. The organization’s premier contest aims to reward exceptional headline writing in all types of media, from newspapers to social networks.
Individual winners in professional categories won between $75 and $300, and individual winners in student categories won between $50 and $125. The winners each submitted multiple headlines. The complete list of winners and a sampling of headlines are below.
2020 HEADLINE CONTEST WINNERS
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Industry or Public Relations
- 1st: Jake Perez, LinkedIn News, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “The Bidding War was a Page Turner”
- 2nd: Martin Henderson, Over The Top Marketing, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Benefits of Eggs That Will Leave You Shell-Shocked”
- 3rd: Peggy Scott, San Diego Zoo Global, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Ooh, That Smell: Scent-Sational Wildlife Species”
- Honorable Mention: Judith Stanford Miller, Student News Net, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Women Who Flew Through the Clouds to Reach the Stars”
National News Organization
- 1st: Panfilo (Ponch) Garcia, The Washington Post, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “The Fashion World’s Shattered Model”
- 2nd: Marc Olson, Los Angeles Times, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Selling Ice Cream No Piece of Cake”
- 3rd: Dave Bowman, Los Angeles Times, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Graze Anatomy, Herd Mentality”
Regional/Local News Organization
- 1st: Zach Tegler, Omaha World-Herald, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Making Dough, Then Raising Some”
- 2nd: Khari Williams, CQ Roll Call, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Chairs Starting to Hold Less Weight”
- 3rd: Zack Aldrich, The Portland Press Herald, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “For New Restaurateurs, Extra Salt in the Wound”
- Honorable Mention: Ashley Winchester, Hearst Connecticut Media, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Pomp, Despite Circumstance”
STAFF AWARDS
Industry or Public Relations
- 1st: UCI Beall Applied Innovation, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “From Waste to Wonder: Face Shields Transform Into Art”
- 2nd: Built In, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Don’t Read Between the Lines. This is How You Provide Good Feedback During a Pandemic”
National News Organization
- 1st: The New York Times, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Fireflies Have a Mating Problem: The Lights Are Always On”
- 2nd: The Dallas Morning News, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Newest Diamond Snags Biggest Gem”
- 3rd: Los Angeles Times, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Life in Slow-Mow”
Regional/Local News Organization
- 1st: Roll Call, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Put your mask where your mouth is”
- 2nd: Omaha World Herald, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “New birders shouldn’t just wing it”
- 3rd: Daily Herald, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Room to Spare: Bowling Centers Not Happy with State’s Reopening Plan”
- Honorable Mention: Hearst Connecticut Media, “The City That Sleeps: Normally Loud, Bustling NYC Quieted by Virus”
Student Publication
- 1st: The Baylor Lariat, SAMPLE HEADLINE: “Local Photographers Develop Positives Amid Coronavirus Negatives”
Photo by utsav-srestha on Unsplash.
