The Star’s Kelly Presnell is AZ Photographer of the Year

In addition, reporter Emily Bregel, who covers border and immigration issues for the Star, placed second in the Journalist of the Year category of the association’s annual Better Newspapers Contest. (First place went to Hank Stephenson of Arizona Agenda.)

In the awards announced Thursday, the Star won 12 first-place honors, including for overall reporting and newswriting excellence and for best use of photography. 

“The judges have selected Kelly Presnell as Arizona’s Photographer of the Year for the seventh straight year. But that’s not news to the Arizona Daily Star’s readers,” said executive editor David McCumber. “They are the ones who see his photojournalism, day in, day out, and they know just how great he is.

“We, his colleagues, are thrilled for him of course. We’re probably more excited than he is. Kelly would be the first to say that awards are wonderful, but it’s the work that counts.”

McCumber, meanwhile, received first place for editorial page excellence.

Environmental and water reporter Tony Davis earned two first-place awards, including the prestigious honor of best news story of the year, for his exclusive investigative report that Glen Canyon Dam is at risk of being unusable at low water levels.

In that best news story category, reporter Henry Brean took third for “University of Arizona-led asteroid mission achieves dramatic, flawless finish.”

Davis also won first place for enterprise reporting for his Glen Canyon Dam coverage, while David Wichner took third for enterprise for “Tucson’s Raytheon sees high demand for drone-killing weapons.”

Bregel took the top spot for narrative writing for her story “Until we find them all: ‘Searching mothers’ comb the desert for missing relatives in Sonora.”

Brean placed second in narrative writing for “Saguaro research kept alive for decades by Tucson couple.”

The best sports story of the year honor went to Michael Lev for “Irby’s journey back to football, Arizona.”

Bruce Pascoe took second place in the best sports story category for “Pac-12’s demise part of college sports’ ‘carnage’ that seems to have no foreseeable end.”

Best team sport or sports beat coverage was won by PJ Brown for the women’s college basketball beat, while Pascoe won second place for the men’s college basketball beat.  

The Star’s sports staff won for best headline.

The Star’s photojournalists swept the best feature photograph category, with Mamta Popat winning first for “Monsoon,” Presnell second for “Strike” and Grace Trejo third for “Festive Fridays at Trail Dust Town.” 

Presnell had the first-place and third-place best sports photographs for “Flying Tackle” and “Rain Fall,” respectively. He also won both second and third places in the best news photograph category for “Grad Memorial” and “Mayor and mother.” 

In the column or commentary category, local news opinion columnist Tim Steller placed second and sports columnist Greg Hansen third.  

Ellie Wolfe won third place for sustained coverage or series for her reporting on the University of Arizona’s financial crisis. 

Tucson.com, the Star’s website, was named second best in the state.