The Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator have received 15 awards in this year’s statewide Associated Press Media Editors awards, including a first-place win in the spot news category, the APME announced.

More than 50 daily newspapers in Ohio submitted 1,418 entries in the contest, which featured news and sports stories, features, editorials, columns, graphics and photos from 2020.

Entries for this newspaper’s division were judged by editors from The Grand Haven Tribune in Michigan.

Reporter Ashley Fox won first place in the spot news category for her coverage of the September shooting death of 4-year-old Rowan Sweeney in Struthers.

Sports writer Joe Simon won first place as best sports writer, which was judged on multiple entries. Simon also won third place in the best sports columnist category.

Photographer R. Michael Semple won first place for best feature photo for a photo he took of Donald Trump Jr. at a local rally last fall titled “Look Up and Smile.” Semple also won second place for best news photo for a crash photo titled “Forgot to Stop.”

Reporter Renee Fox took third place in the best enterprise reporting category for a story about how the closure of St. Joseph Riverside Hospital left a void in the northwest Warren neighborhood. She also won third place in best explanatory reporting for a story on poverty rates in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Features Editor Burton Cole won second place for best feature writer. The newspaper staff took home second place for best spot news coverage of former Warren police officer Noah Linnen’s false claim to be a victim of a shooting and his eventual arrest.

The newspaper staff also captured second place for best daily sports section and in the public service category for its Twenty Under 20 section that recognizes 20 high school students for academic and service excellence.

Taking home third place were page designer Patrick Litowitz for best headline writer, editor Brenda J. Linert for best editorial writer, former page designer Laura McDonough for best graphic artist and David Dermer for best sports photographer for a photo titled “Celebra

tion.”