WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired) - Finalists for the 2013 Online Journalism Awards, many pushing the envelope of innovation and excellence in digital storytelling and distribution, were announced today by the Online News Association and its academic partner, theSchool of Communication at the University of Miami.

A group of 24 industry-leading journalists and new media professionals teamed up to review entrants and select finalists. Twelve of those judges, representing a diverse cross-section of the industry, conferred to determine winners from independent, community, nonprofit, major media and international news sites.

The results will be announced at the 2013 ONA Conference and Online Journalism Awards Banquet on Saturday, Oct. 19, in Atlanta.

This year, the OJAs were modified to keep up with our rapidly evolving industry by including non-English entries in all categories and updating the student categories. Seven awards come with a total of $37,500 in prize money, courtesy of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Gannett Foundation, which also is supporting a new Watchdog Journalism category with a $5,000 award.

"Based on the entries, the innovation of online journalists isn't slowing down. Nor is innovation isolated to just the biggest newsrooms," said ONA Board member Josh Hatch, who, along with the Associated Press' Director of Global Product Operations Ruth Gersh, co-chairs the Online Journalism Awards Committee. "As technologies evolve and mature, we're seeing storytelling taking new forms, multimedia integration hitting new heights, and great journalism reaching more people than ever before."

The finalists, listed in alphabetical order, are:

KNIGHT AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

• 68 Blocks, The Boston Globe
• Crime in Chicago, Chicago Tribune
• Deals for Developers, WAMU 88.5 News
• Justice Denied: Bronx Courts, The New York Times

GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, SMALL

• AxisPhilly
• Earthfix
• St. Louis Beacon
• Voice of San Diego

GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, MEDIUM

• Mother Jones
• Quartz
• The Texas Tribune
• The Verge

GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, LARGE

• The Boston Globe
• La Nacion
• The New York Times
• NPR

GANNETT FOUNDATION AWARD FOR TECHNICAL INNOVATION IN THE SERVICE OF DIGITAL JOURNALISM

• D3.js, The New York Times
• Quartz
• Tarbell, Chicago Tribune

BREAKING NEWS, SMALL

• Triumph, Then Tragedy: The Boston Marathon Bombings, Boston University News Service (Sole Finalist)

BREAKING NEWS, MEDIUM

• Boston Marathon Bombings, WBUR.org
• Decade of Captivity: Amanda, Gina and Michelle Found Alive, cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer
• Duluth Flood, Minnesota Public Radio News
• Superstorm Sandy, WNYC

BREAKING NEWS, LARGE

• Boston Marathon Bombing, Boston.com and BostonGlobe.com
• Hurricane Sandy, The New York Times
• The Deadly Tornado In Moore, Oklahoma, NPR

PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, SMALL

• Fact-Checking the Presidential Debates and Party Conventions, FactCheck.org
• Iran Election Watch
• Property Tax Changes, AxisPhilly

PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, MEDIUM

• Because of You, The Tennessean
• Bulger On Trial, WBUR.org
• Cicada Tracker, WNYC
• ProPublica's 2012 Election Coverage, ProPublica

PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, LARGE

• 2012 Presidential Election, The New York Times
• Israel's Fractured Memory, Al Jazeera English
• The Re-Election of Barack Obama, NPR

EXPLANATORY REPORTING, SMALL

• Ala Wai Canal: Hawaii's Biggest Mistake?, Honolulu Civil Beat
• America's Big Beef, Harvest Public Media
• Coal in the Northwest, EarthFix
• Philadelphia's Property Tax Upheaval, AxisPhilly

EXPLANATORY REPORTING, MEDIUM

• After The Flood, ProPublica
• America Under the Gun: A Special Report on Gun Laws and the Rise of Mass Shootings, Mother Jones
• Bilingual Learning, Southern California Public Radio and KPCC.org
• How America Gives, Chronicle of Philanthropy

EXPLANATORY REPORTING, LARGE

• America: Elect!, The Guardian
• Beyond 7 Billion, Los Angeles Times
• Out in the Great Alone, ESPN.com
• The Packard Plant: Why It Has To Go, Detroit Free Press

TOPICAL REPORTING, SMALL

• EarthFix
• Nieman Journalism Lab
• Political Party Time, Sunlight Foundation

TOPICAL REPORTING, MEDIUM

• Consider the Source, The Center for Public Integrity
• Bidness As Usual, The Texas Tribune
• Returning Home to Battle, The Center for Investigative Reporting

TOPICAL REPORTING, LARGE

• Jim Schaefer's Kwame Kilpatrick Fraud Trial Blog, Detroit Free Press
• L.A.'s Political Calculus: The 2013 Race for Mayor, Los Angeles Times
• Life in the Hermit Kingdom: Bringing North Korea to the World, Associated Press
• The Supreme Court, The New York Times

ONLINE COMMENTARY, SMALL

• Economic Inequality, BillMoyers.com
• Flawed but Fabulous, WLRN-Miami Herald News
• The Fight to Vote, BillMoyers.com

ONLINE COMMENTARY, MEDIUM

• Jessica Valenti, TheNation.com
• Matt Yglesias, Slate Magazine
• Stuff Nation by Stuff.co.nz, Fairfax Media New Zealand

ONLINE COMMENTARY, LARGE

• Ezra Klein, The Washington Post
• Op-Docs, The New York Times
• The Feed, Tampa Bay Times

FEATURE, SMALL

• 100 Gallons, Powering a Nation, UNC Chapel Hill
• #Banlieuelanuit, Radio-Canada

FEATURE, MEDIUM

• Black Gold Boom, Todd Melby, AIR, Prairie Public, Zeega
• Bounced Around, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Grace Through Grief: A Shattered Family Recovers, Las Vegas Sun
• In Jennifer's Room, The Center for Investigative Reporting
• No Way Out: A Special Report on Solitary Confinement from Former Hostage Shane Bauer, Mother Jones

FEATURE, LARGE

• Australian Firestorm, The Guardian
• His Saving Grace, Chicago Tribune
• Mumbai Madness - Traffic in a Megacity, DW Deutsche Welle
• Snow Fall, The New York Times

STUDENT PROJECTS, SMALL

• Politify, UC Berkeley
• The Pulse of Oakland, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
• Waste Matters

STUDENT PROJECTS, LARGE

• The Bloomberg Legacy, NYCity News Service and CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
• Gimme Props!, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
• Spotlight on Shaken-Baby Syndrome, The Medill Justice Project
• Triumph, Then Tragedy: The Boston Marathon Bombings, Boston University News Service
• Under Pressure, The MIT Tech

GANNETT FOUNDATION AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, SMALL

• Crunch Time: The Relationship Between the Police Departments and Black Communities in Champaign and Urbana, Hoy Chicago and CU-CitizenAccess.org
• Following The Magnitsky Money, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
• In The Name Of The Law, Honolulu Civil Beat

GANNETT FOUNDATION AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, MEDIUM

• Big Money 2012, FRONTLINE, American Public Media's Marketplace, ProPublica
• Deals for Developers, WAMU 88.5 News
• Returning Home to Battle, The Center for Investigative Reporting

GANNETT FOUNDATION AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, LARGE

• Life on the Line: 911 Breakdowns at LAFD, Los Angeles Times
• The NSA Files, The Guardian
• Untangling FOIA, Bloomberg News

GANNETT FOUNDATION AWARD FOR WATCHDOG JOURNALISM

• Broken Shield, The Center for Investigative Reporting
• Driven to the Edge, The Boston Globe
• Dying for Relief, Los Angeles Times
• The NSA Files, The Guardian

The judges of this year's awards were:

• Rich Beckman, Knight Chair in Visual Journalism, University of Miami
• Cindy Chang, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
• Carrie Ching, Independent Multimedia Journalist
• Arianna Ciccone, Founder, International Journalism Festival
• Gabriel Dance, Interactive Editor, Guardian U.S.
• Kathleen Ehrlich, formerly Senior Director of Digital Content and Operations, WNYC
• Meghann Farnsworth, Senior Manager, Distribution and Online Engagement, The Center for Investigative Reporting
• Rich Jaroslovsky, Technology Columnist, Bloomberg News and ONA founding president
• Martin Kotynek, Investigative Editor, Die Zeit; 2013 Knight Journalism Fellow, Stanford University
• Scott Klein, Senior Editor, News Applications, ProPublica
• Jennifer MacMillan, Senior Communities Editor, Globe and Mail
• Colin Mulvany, Multimedia Producer, The Spokesman-Review
• Momi Peralta Ramos, La Nación Data Project Manager, La Nación, Argentina
• Erin Polgreen, Editor, Publisher, and Cofounder, Symbolia
• Alexandre Pratt, Managing Editor, Digital and Features, La Presse
• Tasneem Raja, Digital/Interactive Editor, Mother Jones
• Ju-Don Roberts, Digital Strategist and Startup Adviser
• Andrei Scheinkman, Data Editor, The Huffington Post
• Zach Seward, Senior Editor, Quartz
• Will Sullivan, Mobile Product Lead, Broadcasting Board of Governors
• Lam Thuy Vo, Interactive Editor, Al Jazeera America
• Matt Waite, Journalism Professor of Practice, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Ben Welsh, Database Producer, Los Angeles Times
• Jose Zamora, Strategic Communications, Univision News

Judges were recused from discussing categories in which their own organizations were entered.

OJA judging is accomplished in partnership with the University of Miami's School of Communication. Winners will be announced at the Awards Banquet on the last night of ONA13 in Atlanta. Tickets to the Banquet are available for only $25.

Launched in 2000, the OJAs are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism.

About ONA

The Online News Association is the world's largest association of digital journalists. ONA's mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, developers, photographers, educators, students and others who produce news for and support digital delivery systems. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.

About the University of Miami School of Communication
The University of Miami School of Communication prepares analytical and responsible communication professionals for success in a global society. The School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism, broadcasting, advertising, public relations, visual journalism, communication studies and motion pictures. The School's state of the art, all-digital facilities and resources are among the most advanced in the country. Approximately 1,500 students are enrolled.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of the U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950 the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance journalism quality and freedom of expression. Knight Foundation focuses on ideas and projects that create transformational change.

About the Gannett Foundation
The Gannett Foundation is a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc. whose mission is to invest in the future of the communities in which Gannett does business, and in the future of our industry. It supports projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation and cultural enrichment.