ACES: The Society for Editing is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022 National Headline Contest.
While many state and local organizations hold headline contests within their regions, the ACES Headline Contest aims to reward the best headline writing across the country in all types of media, from newspapers to social networks.
Individual winners in professional categories are awarded between $75 and $300, and individual winners in student categories receive between $50 and $125. Those awarded the top prize in their categories also receive plaques, while certificates are given to those in second and third place or garnering an honorable mention.
The winners each submitted multiple headlines. The complete list of winners and a sampling of headlines, with links to full portfolios, are below.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
National Media Organizations
1st: Sean Ernst, New York Times. Sample from portfolio: “It isn’t tennis, but he’ll take a thwack at it”
2nd: Panfilo O. Garcia, The Washington Post. Sample from portfolio: “A game of hide and ‘Eek!’ with covid”
3rd: Sean Ernst, New York Times. Sample from portfolio: “Hopeless in the heat, a nation throws in the sweaty towel”
HONORABLE MENTION: Alison Dingeldein, Los Angeles Times. Sample from portfolio: “Quit fiddlin’ while Earth burns”
Regional/Local Media Organizations
1ST: Karen Grigsby, Main Street, Nashville. Sample from portfolio: “A whirlwind career – Longtime Nashville meteorologist Larry Vannozzi retires”
2ND: Rhiannon Root, The Washington Times. Sample from portfolio: “Thank you for being a friend, Betty”
3RD: Zack Aldrich, The Portland (Maine) Press Herald. Sample from portfolio: “Calm Before The Swarm – Now’s the time to hit up Maine’s most special spots before they’re brimming with summer visitors”
HONORABLE MENTION: Beth Hall Davis, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Sample from portfolio: “The Cost of This Year’s Thanksgiving Has Run A-Fowl”
Industry/marketing/public relations
1st: Martin Henderson, Over The Top Marketing. Sample from portfolio: “Are You Pumping Up Or Pooping Out? The Perils of Exercising Too Much”
Student Media Organizations
1ST: Sarah Komar, The Arkansas Traveler. Sample from portfolio: “More than a Crown”
2ND: Ramona Mukherji, The Daily Bruin (UCLA). Sample from portfolio: “Netflix new reality show ‘Hype House’ fails to live up to hype”
3RD: Isabelle Friedman, The Daily Bruin (UCLA). Sample from portfolio: “Outdated 'Cats' Production is better fit for litter box than stage”
HONORABLE MENTION: Emma Weidmann, The Baylor Lariat. Sample from portfolio: “TableTalk, pulls up a chair to tough conversations”
STAFF AWARDS
National Media Organizations
1ST: Christian Science Monitor. Sample from portfolio: “Welcome to the Office, Gen Z. You're the Only One Here”
2ND: The Washington Post. Sample from portfolio: “Their Wish Is No Commanders”
3RD: The Triton News. Sample from portfolio: “Can't See the Need for Sunglasses?”
HONORABLE MENTION: Christianity Today. Sample from portfolio: “Does Jesus Wear Undies?”
Regional/Local Media Organizations
1st place: (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. Sample from portfolio: “Deuces are wild ‘Twosday’ and some are really in 2 it”
2nd place: NJ Advance Media. Sample from portfolio: “Neighbors say restored church bell taking a toll”
3rd place: Dallas Morning News. Sample from portfolio: “Baked to the brink: Texans urged to crank down use as demand surges to new high”
Industry/marketing/public relations
1st: School Library Journal. Samples from portfolio: “What's in a name” and “Be afraid, but not too afraid."
2nd: Over The Top Marketing. Sample from portfolio: “Chiropractic Care Can Give That Jammed Joint a Knuckle Sandwich”
Student Media Organizations
1ST: The Baylor Lariat. Samples from portfolio: “Thankfulness is like Toby Flenderson: Sometimes you just forget about it” and “Pitbull is still top dog in music industry”
2ND: SCAN Magazine. Sample from portfolio: “Chasing the white rabbit: The best ways to beauty, cruelty-free”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Manor. Sample from portfolio: “Croc Madames and the Rise of the Croc Empire”
ACES thanks everyone who entered this year’s Headline Contest. You can start preparing now for the next installment, which will cover headlines published during calendar 2023. Look for the call for entries in January.
