2 News reporters win top award

Deseret Morning News reporters Lois M. Collins and Elaine Jarvik won yet another first-place award for their feature story, " 'Some Guy' saves a life."

The Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Program, the oldest and best-known feature writing and editing competition in American newspapering, awarded the duo $1,000 in prize money and a lead crystal vase trophy for their first-place award in the health and fitness category.

The July 2003 article chronicles Utah's youngest-ever Samaritan kidney donor and the grateful recipient, both of whose lives were dramatically changed by the experience.

"This complicated story helps readers confront their conventional thinking about organ donations and religion," the judges of the contest wrote. "Using a telling example these writers engage readers with compelling writing and courageous reporting. Excellent work."

"It was a combination of detailed medical facts about the surgery coupled with this compelling story of two strangers who helped each other," Jarvik said.

Collins and Jarvik first heard of the charitable donation through the Utah Donor Registry after pursuing coverage of organ donation. Collins said she thought it would be interesting to follow someone through the process. The writers were able to attend the surgeries and experience the emotion firsthand.

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BORDER="1"> FACE="Verdana,Helvetica,Arial" SIZE="2">Award-winning story: FACE="Verdana,Helvetica,Arial" SIZE="2"> 'Some guy' saves a life

The article had to fulfill strict criteria within the contest's only three rules: excellent writing, interesting approach and valuable subject matter.

It was considered among nearly 1,400 entries this year and beat out articles from competitive newspapers nationwide. Finalists in the category included Tom Hallman Jr. of the Oregonian, Nanci Hellmich of USA Today, Melissa Healy of the Los Angeles Times, Sandra G. Boodman of the Washington Post and Douglas Grant Mine from the Miami New Times.

The awards program is sponsored by the Missouri School of Journalism. Trophies and prize money totaling $18,000 are awarded to writers, editors and newspapers each year.

Collins and Jarvik's article also won a first-place award in feature writing at the Utah Headliners Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awards earlier this year.

"I think it is great," Collins said. "It's always nice when you write about something you care about and it gets recognized."