2011 contest director Deb Erdley presented Lindsey Poisson with the PWPA's journalist of the year award.

The following winners of the PWPA Excellence in Journalism conference were honored during a May 21 luncheon at the Penn Stater hotel and conference center in State College.

Journalist of the Year: Lindsey Poisson – Erie Times-News

Rookie of the Year: Lindsey Poisson – Erie Times-News

1 – General news

First place: Betsy Hiel – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Second place: Jo Ciavaglia – Bucks County Courier Times
Third place: Dawn Goodman – (Washington) Observer-Reporter
HM: Laura Legere – Scranton Times-Tribune
HM: Jodi Weigand – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

2 – Sports

First place: Dana Massing – Erie Times-News
Second place: Erin Negley – Reading Eagle
Third place: Elsa Kerschner – (Lehighton) Times News

3 – Home

First place: Lindsey Poisson – Erie Times-News
Second place: Erin Negley – Reading Eagle
Third place: Laura Lenk – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: JoAnne Klimovich Harrop – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: Diane Stoneback – The Morning Call

4 – Features

First place: Paula Y. Wolf – (Lancaster) Sunday News
Second place: JoAnne Klimovich Harrop – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Third place: Laura Legere – Scranton Times-Tribune
HM: Mark Leberfinger – Altoona Mirror
HM: Theresa Hegel – The (Doylestown) Intelligencer

5 – Editorials/columns

First place: Donald Serfass – (Lehighton) Times News
Second place: Kay Stephens – Altoona Mirror
Third place: Helen Colwell Adams – (Lancaster) Sunday News
HM: Gordon Glantz – The (Norristown) Times Herald
HM: Salena Zito – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

6 – Columns

First place: Jo Ciavaglia – Bucks County Courier Times
Second place: Gordon Glantz – The (Norristown) Times Herald
Third place: Lindsey Poisson – Erie Times-News
HM: Liz Allen – Erie Times-News
HM: Donald Serfass – (Lehighton) Times News

7 – Business and consumer

First place: Erin Negley – Reading Eagle
Second place: Erica Erwin – Erie Times-News
Third place: Margaret Harding – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: Jennie Geisler – Erie Times-News
HM: Daveen Rae Kurutz – Murrysville Star

8 – Series

First place: Laura Legere – Scranton Times-Tribune
Second place: Karen Cimms – (Lehighton) Times News
Third place: Paula Cochran – (Milton) Standard-Journal
HM: Dana Massing – Erie Times-News

9 – Interviews/profiles

First place: Salena Zito – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Second place: Jo Ciavaglia – Bucks County Courier Times
Third place: Mary Pickels – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: Scott Muska – Altoona Mirror
HM: Rebecca VanderMeulen – The Philadelphia Inquirer

10 – Page design

First place: Brenda Martin – Erie Times News
Second place: Melissa Scott – Erie Times News

11 – In-depth report

First place: Sarah Hofius Hall – Scranton Times-Tribune
Second place: Erica Erwin – Erie Times-News
Third place: Lindsey Poisson – Erie Times-News
HM: Jo Ciavaglia – Bucks County Courier Times
HM: Laura Legere – Scranton Times-Tribune

12 – Health/science

First place: Amy Crawford – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Second place: Heather Cass – Erie Times-News
Third place: Erin Negley – Reading Eagle

13 – Education

First place: Amy Crawford – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Second place: Margaret Harding – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Third place: Jodi Weigand – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: Heather Cass – Erie Times-News
HM: Dana Massing – Erie Times-News

14 – Travel/arts

First place: Lindsey Poisson – Erie Times-News
Second place: Theresa Hegel – The (Doylestown) Intelligencer
Third place: Joanna Billings – Northampton Press
HM: Amy Crawford – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: Linda Koehler – (Lehighton) Times News

15 – Headlines

First place: Melissa M. Scott – Erie Times-News
Second place: Margaret Moses – Altoona Mirror
Third place: Theresa Hegel – The (Doylestown) Intelligencer

16 – Photography

First place: Janet B. Campbell – Erie Times-News
Second place: Kristen Mullen – The Citizens’ Voice
Third place: Linda Anthony – Bethlehem Press

17 – Multimedia

First place: Christine Haines, (Uniontown) Herald-Standard
Second place: Lindsay Poisson, Erie Times-News
Third place: Sarah Hofius Hall, Scranton Times-Tribune

18 – Religion

First place: Dana Massing – Erie Times-News
Second place: Lindsey Poisson – Erie Times-News
Third place: Betsy Hiel – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: Daveen Rae Kurutz – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HM: Linda Koehler – (Lehighton) Times News

19 – Outdoors/environmental

First place: Dana Massing – Erie Times-News
Second place: Laura Legere – Scranton Times-Tribune
Third place: Mark Leberfinger – Altoona Mirror
HM: Elsa Kerschner – (Lehighton) Times News
HM: Erin Negley – Reading Eagle