Reflector, Register win 13 AP awards

The Sandusky Register and Norwalk Reflector received 13 finalist nominations in the 2024 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors contest. The annual contest recognizes excellence in Ohio journalism. Entries considered for this year's contest were written in the 2024 calendar year. Changes made to the contest apparently made it much more competitive this year. The field of competitors was consolidated from five divisions down to three, stacking the newspapers against similar print media groups in cities like Springfield, Youngstown and Elyria. Similarly, certain award categories were removed or consolidated with others. "The Sandusky Register and Norwalk Reflector have a tremendous history of journalistic excellence," publisher Jeremy Speer said. "I am never surprised that our staff is recognized for its outstanding work, but am always proud. I see how much our staff cares about its community and finding new and engaging ways to capture its essence." The contest's three divisions group newspapers together based on circulation size, with Division III being the largest. The Reflector, a part of Division I, took three nominations. The Register, in Division II, secured 10. Nominees will learn if their award earned them first-, second- or third-place recognition at an award ceremony in August. Here's a breakdown of award finalists by contest. Note that some newspaper employees received multiple nominations in the same category: Norwalk Reflector • Mark Hazelwood: Best Sports Columnist, Best Sports Enterprise Reporting and Best Feature Writing/Columnist Sandusky Register • Andy Ouriel: Best Business Writer, Best Public Service • Erin Caldwell: Best Feature Photo, Best Photographer, Best Sports Photo • Brian Kollars: Best Sports Section • Joshua Morgret: Best Sports Writer • Josh Bahnsen: Best Print Design Element