Sun reporters, editorial writers, graphic artists and page designers won 12 first-place awards in the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association's 2003 editorial contest, more than any other newspaper of its size in the region.
The winners among newspapers with a circulation of 75,000 and over were:
Editorial writer Karen Hosler for commentary about the Preakness Stakes, a gelding named Funny Cide and the future of horse racing in Maryland.
Medical writer Erika Niedowski for "A Mother's Promise," a two-part article about a woman who became a catalyst for change after medical mistakes killed her daughter.
Courts reporter Allison Klein in general news, for "No one stepped in while a child died," which detailed Department of Social Services problems.
Tom Dunkel for feature article "The Book of Stephen" about a professor's battle with stroke.
Patricia Meisol for state government article "The Numbers Man," profiling state Budget Secretary James C. "Chip" DiPaula Jr.
Peter Schmuck, Joe Christensen, Roch Kubatko, Jon Morgan and Scott Shane for continuing coverage of the ephedra-related death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler.
Ivan Penn for the public service article "His checks are bogus, but damage done is real" on the rise of check counterfeiting in Maryland.
John Eisenberg for sports feature article "The Lost Phenom," profiling former Orioles' prospect Steve Dalkowski.
John Makely for a series of photos entitled "The Road to Baghdad."
Christopher T. Assaf for a sports photo of Ravens tight end Todd Heap.
Page designer Scott Ponemone for "Digging Out," a front-page layout that captured the severity of the Presidents Day weekend snowstorm.
Graphic artist Shyam Patel for an illustration of a man shouldering a house-of-cards burden of credit cards for an article about America's growing debt problem.