Statesman journalists win three national awards for food, criticism

Tuesday, two American-Statesman journalists [https://www.statesman.com] brought home awards from the Society for Features Journalism [https://www.featuresjournalism.org] (SFJ).

Odam's writing left me hungry and planning a visit to Austin. His descriptions of the restaurant and its history were particularly interesting. Great work! — SFJ Judge

In Division 1:

• Matthew Odam placed second for his food writing portfolio. This is Odam's seventh SFJ award, with the judge praising his ability to "leave readers hungry."
• Odam also scored second place for a single sample of food criticism, with the judge noting the "nice ending...exploring why you kept nibbling away at it."
• Deborah Sengupta Stith took third place for her portfolio of arts and culture criticism, with the judges citing her "strong and great writing."

The Statesman features team has an illustrious record in this contest, winning "best section" in 2019, 2020, and 2022, and consecutively honored for "best digital presence."

We have always thought of our Austin360 team as the best in the business and the awards speak for themselves. Matthew and Deborah capture the essence and vibrancy of Austin in their writing. As veteran Austin journalists, their passion for the community is evident in their daily work. — Courtney Sebesta, Statesman Executive Editor