LAST YEAR, SAN QUENTIN NEWS was dubbed The New York Times of prison newspapers. This year, it’s being called the Pulitzer Prize-winner of journalism behind bars for winning best newspaper at the relaunch of the American Penal Press Contest.
The contest was resurrected by Pollen Initiative, an organization working to bring media to prisons across the country, in collaboration with Southern Illinois University. It had been out of existence for over 34 years, but announced the newest winners at a ceremony Sept. 19.
“This is amazingly gratifying and I am thankful to see the enthusiasm on people’s faces today,” said SIU School of Journalism’s Jan Thompson, who came to help relaunch the contest. “I’m happy to witness this showcase of top writing talent. What a first start!” The contest was co-hosted by San Quentin News editor-in-chief Kevin D. Sawyer.
“We’re here today to reinforce San Quentin News and the media center as a beacon for prison journalism to spread throughout the country,” Sawyer said.
The APPC was founded in 1965 by the SIU School of Journalism alongside renowned professor Charles C. Clayton. It is a national awards competition that celebrates excellence in incarcerated journalism. The contest was widely known as the Pulitzer Prize of journalism behind bars when it reached its heights in the 1970s, attracting more than a thousand submissions a year.
It was shut down in 1991 due to rising concerns over crime, ushering in a tough-on-crime era. Many prison newspapers were shut down across the country and incarcerated people had practically lost their voice.
New contest with new categories
This year’s contest included 14 categories for awards. Some of the categories are new, including Advisor of the Year, Woman Journalist of the Year, and Newsroom Leader of the Year, according to co-host Kate McQueen, the editorial director for Pollen Initiative.
“Out of 21 publications, there were 179 submissions coming from nine states,” she told the crowd.
The event was live-streamed for incarcerated journalists unable to attend the event in person. It’s the first time it has been held inside of a prison and took a lot of ingenuity to get the Wi-Fi connection working properly.
Along with being part of the team winning for newspaper of the year, San Quentin News reporter Edwin Chavez won second place in the Best Local Coverage category for his article, “60 Residents Commit to Stopping Domestic Violence and Heal In The Process.”
“I am humbled for this award,” said Chavez after the contest.
“I came to this country from El Salvador as a child and journalism has helped me read and write and speak the English language better,” he said.
San Quentin News was shut out for the rest of the competition after winning just two awards. Megan Hogg, of Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, won first place in the Best Local Coverage category for her article, “‘The new Fendi bags:’ CCWF residents get their hands dirty for the latest ‘It’ Item.” Chris Gardener of The Nash News from North Carolina took third place.
Best Opinion article went to Diana Lovejoy of CCWF Paper Trail for an article about nutritional rehabilitation. Phillip Luna of The Echo, an Oregon prison newspaper, took second place and Kwame Teague of North Carolina Prison News Today took third place.
Best Feature article was awarded to Daniel Deese of The Cajun Press for his article, “I Can’t Breathe: When A Heart Attack Strikes.” Second place winner was Nora Igova of CCWF Paper Trail. Third went to Kurtis Thompson and Antonio McCaw of a publication called 1664.
Best Long Form Narrative award which went to Chris Gardener of the North Carolina Prison News Today for his article “The Spirit of Giving.” Second place went to John L. Orr of Mule Creek Post and Paul Gordon of The Prison Mirror from Minnesota won third place.
Best Sports Coverage went to Lawson Strickland of The Angolite in Louisiana for an article called, “Dominant on the Diamond.” Best Photo went to Jason Davis of the Mule Creek Post called, “Javier Manriquez and Family.” Best Visual Journalism award went to The Nash News for its overall publication Volume 20, issue 3.
Awards recognize advisors, women, leaders
In the newer categories, Charlotte Walyko of The Nash News won the Advisor of the Year award. Nora Igova of CCWF Paper Trail was awarded Woman Journalist of the Year, and Jesse Carson of the Mule Creek Post won Newsroom Leader of the Year.
Winners were not allowed to give speeches due to time restrictions, but they were allowed to stand and be acknowledged by their peers across the country who applauded each winner.
Other categories included Best Debut Publication, which was won by the Mabel Bassett Balance in Oklahoma. The Echo, an Eastern Oregon Correctional Facility publication, won Best Newsletter. And Best Magazine went to 1664, its sister publication.
JoyBelle Phelan, co-founder and executive director of Unbound Authors, writer relations manager for the Prison Journalism Project, former managing editor of The Inside Report (Colorado’s prison newspaper), and a woman who served seven years in a Colorado prison, acted as an advisory board member for this year’s contest.
Phelan said her hope is to expand publishing access across Colorado’s correctional facilities.
“I’m glad I’m not competing today, because incarcerated journalism today is through the roof. Today’s journalism is better than when I was writing and I believe incarcerated journalists today can compete with anybody.” Robert Taliaferro, former editor of The Prison Mirror
Robert Taliaferro served 38 and a half years in prison. He is the former editor of The Prison Mirror, the oldest prison publication, which started in 1887. He won multiple awards during his tenure from 1980-89.
“I’m glad I’m not competing today, because incarcerated journalism today is through the roof,” said Taliaferro. “Today’s journalism is better than when I was writing and I believe incarcerated journalists today can compete with anybody.”
In fact, San Quentin News did compete with free world publications in California. At its height, the publication employed 23 incarcerated reporters, put out 24 pages and circulated 35,000 copies across California and beyond. The publication won Society of Professional Journalists awards, a James Madison Freedom of Information award and many of its reporters won California News Publishers Association awards.
“I thank warden Ron Davis for convincing wardens across the state to allow our newspaper in their prisons,” said Sawyer. “Before warden Davis, we were only a local publication.”
Expanding the reach of incarcerated voices
Today, San Quentin News has downsized to a 12-page newspaper with 14 reporters, and the other 12 pages include stories from the CCWF Paper Trail and The Mule Creek Post to help them expand beyond their local borders.
Pollen Initiative hopes to influence growth of incarcerated journalism throughout the country by restarting APPC, to strengthen the penal press corps and shine a light on the power of incarcerated reporting. They believe that providing professional feedback and healthy competition is the way to go.
Reviving the APPC contest is a giant step in the direction of creating common ground between incarcerated press and the outside journalism industry, according to executive director Jesse Vazquez.
“I want to thank David Maldonado of CDCR, without who this would not be possible,” said Vazquez. “I thank warden Clinton T. Duffy for his vision to create the San Quentin News, Robert ‘Bob’ Ayers for having the vision to bring the San Quentin News back in 2008, and all the wardens, including Ron Davis and Ron Broomfield who always said yes to whatever we needed in the newsroom.”
He ended, “Thanks everyone for a successful event. Now it’s time to mingle and enjoy the chicken!”
Editor’s note: This article was updated Oct. 6, 2025, to more accurately reflect JoyBelle Phelan’s professional affiliations.
Steve Brooks is a California Local News Fellow with Bay City News Foundation, reporting from inside San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. His perspective gives readers insight into issues and news from inside the prison. See more of his work at Inside/Out on Local News Matters.