Statesman journalists nab 3 national awards for food and music writing

On Tuesday, two American-Statesman journalists brought home a total of three awards from the Society for Features Journalism, which represents hundreds of writers, editors, designers, visual journalists and other members of the media nationwide.

In Division 1 among print newspapers, Matthew Odam nabbed the second-place prize for his food writing portfolio, his seventh SFJ award for commentary or criticism dating back to 2012.

"Odam's writing left me hungry and planning a visit to Austin," wrote the SFJ judge for that category. "His descriptions of the restaurant and its history were particularly interesting. Great work!"

"The 10-course parade begins with an artful snack board that might include a raisiny carrot jerky on toast hay that you might find in the lunch kit of a hiker who has someone else carry his backpack," Odam wrote June 8, 2023, about Charles Zhuo's cooking in what might be the city's tiniest kitchen, "and a delicate and ornate corn butterfly sandwiching buttered corn as lush as foie gras."

In addition, Odam scored second place for a single sample of food criticism.

Judge: "Nice ending, too, with a twist of not loving that dish, but explaining and exploring why you kept nibbling away at it."

Deborah Sengupta Stith, recently named the newspaper's Austin360 editor, took third place for her portfolio of arts and culture criticism, cited for her "strong and great writing."

The Statesman features team regularly places highly in this national contest. In 2019, 2020 and 2022, for instance, it won "best section." For several years in a row, it was 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," said Courtney Sebesta, the Statesman's newly appointed executive editor. "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."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Statesman journalists take national awards for features writing