DBT wins five national AABP awards

WILMINGTON – The Delaware Business Times won a record five awards in the 2021 Alliance of Area Business Publishers (AABP) contest, including a third-place finish for Newspaper of the Year for its circulation size, capping a year with widespread recognition for the newspaper’s work.

AABP, with 65 member publications across North America, is dedicated to the business news industry and among the highest respected awards for DBT’s industry. Notably, the awards contest is judged annually by the faculty of the esteemed University of Missouri School of Journalism. The 2021 awards total was the most in DBT’s history.

Michael Reath
Publisher

“I couldn’t be prouder of the editorial team at Delaware Business Times. During a very difficult year they upped their game and produced outstanding coverage of the state’s business community,” said Michael Reath, publisher of the Delaware Business Times. “To be nationally recognized with not one, but five awards from The Alliance of Area Business Publishers is icing on the cake and well-deserved recognition for everyone on the DBT team.”

DBT won third place for Small-Circulation Newspaper of the Year, its first award in the capstone category.

“The Delaware Business Times seems well in touch with its business readership. The publication offers a wide variety and volume of local content. Front pages are consistently strong with large dominant images, and visuals are sought for every story. The topics reflect an emphasis on issues like diversity and renewable energy, setting a positive and thoughtful example for the community,” the judges wrote.

Editor Jacob Owens won a first-place award for editorial writing for his October 2020 column, “Delaware is staring down a crossroads on its R&D future,” which discussed the need for the state to front-fund investment of lab space.

“This entry offers a clear-eyed view of Delaware at an economic crossroad. The argument to build a stronger future by supporting the city’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem is balanced, engaging and persuasive,” the judges wrote.

Owens and reporter Katie Tabeling shared a second-place award for recurring feature for the “In the C-Suite” series that profiles the careers and thinking of Delaware’s chief executives.

“This feature takes profiles of business leaders to a higher level with its thoughtful approach to each subject, revealing both the professional and personal attributes that underpin their achievements. Each installment is a clear-eyed, refreshing look at the many layers of being accomplished and successful,” judges wrote.

Owens earned another second-place award for best scoop for his January 2020 story “N.Y. firm acquired Concord Mall before foreclosure.”

“When a prominent Delaware mall announced an ownership change but didn’t say who the buyer was, it sent the reporter into high gear. His reporting discovered that the mall, in financial trouble, sold to a predator company that was buying distressed malls at deep discount. This is reporting that informs, not just announces,” judges wrote.

In addition to its editorial work, Delaware Business Times’ STUFF publication, concerning workforce training and job opportunities for teens, won a first-place award for best ancillary publication. It’s the second consecutive first-place award for STUFF and third award in three years.

Prior to the 2021 contest, DBT had won four AABP awards in the newspaper’s seven-year history. Last year, it won the association’s Most Improved Publication award.

In other state, regional and national awards programs, DBT won 20 awards for its coverage in 2020.