Two Chattanooga Times Free Press staffers took first place honors at the Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards on Friday in Atlanta.
The annual contest is sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists to honor the best journalism in the Southeast.
Staff cartoonist Clay Bennett took first place for Best Editorial Cartoon.
He was competing against Jeff Parker of Florida Today and Robert Ariail of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal.
Staff writer Joan Garrett also took first place for Best Feature Writing. Her piece, “Coming Clean,” told the story of a Chattanooga woman who is battling to overcome drug addiction and get an education.