HALIFAX, March 29, 2012 /CNW/ -The Atlantic Journalism Awards (AJAs) is pleased to announce the finalists in the 2011 competition. The finalists' names are listed in alphabetical order by first name in 28 separate categories.

The awards will be presented during the gala dinner and awards event at the Delta Fredericton on Saturday evening, May 5, 2012.

The finalists, by category, in alphabetical order by first name are:

Online News Reporting
Bethany Horne/Neal Ozano/Jacob Boon/Hilary Beaumont/Nick Rudnicki  - OpenFile - Halifax, NS - Inside Peter Kelly's Eviction of Occupy NS.
Laura Fraser/Dan Arsenault/Rick Conrad/Susan Bradley - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS - Occupy Nova Scotia.
Terra Tailleur - CBC News Nova Scotia - Halifax, NS - The Occupation Ends.

Best Page Presentation: Newspaper
Ken Simmons - The Telegram - St. John's, NL - Swap Meet.
Matt Dempsey/Frank Campbell - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS - Debate behind Closed Doors.
Mike Landry - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - A Horror so Refined.

Photojournalism Spot News: Newspaper
James West - The Daily Gleaner - Fredericton, NB - St. John River Rescue.
Noel Chenier - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - Dog Rescue.
Ron Ward - Times & Transcript - Moncton, NB - Police Arrest Suspect in Robbery Attempt.

Photojournalism Feature: Newspaper
Cole Burston - The Daily Gleaner - Fredericton, NB - Goalie in Net.
Kate Braydon - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - Butterflies Wait to Fly.
Keith Gosse - The Telegram - St. John's, NL - The Chase.

Atlantic Magazine Article
Carol Moreira - Nova Scotia Open to the World - Halifax, NS - A Place to Think.
Jon Tattrie - Halifax Magazine - Halifax, NS - Justice Delayed.
Sara Jewell - Saltscapes Magazine - Bedford, NS - The Circle of Life.

Atlantic Magazine: Best Cover
Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - The Rise of Generation Plus - March 2011.
East Coast Living - Halifax, NS - Back to Life - Winter 2011.
Halifax Magazine - Halifax, NS - Going to the Big Leagues - October 2011.

Atlantic Magazine: Best Profile Article
Alec Bruce - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - The Beautiful Dreaming of Wadih Fares.
Jack MacAndrew - Saltscapes Magazine - Bedford, NS - Snowbird by Birth.
Jessica Burns - Halifax Magazine - Halifax, NS - Brain Candy.

Breaking/Spot News Reporting: Print
Amy Reusch - The News - New Glasgow, NS - Bill Clinton's Surprise Appearance.
Dan Benoit - Miramichi Leader - Miramichi, NB - I Can't Hold Her, Sarge.
Shawn Berry - The Daily Gleaner - Fredericton, NB - High-Speed Chase Ends in Crash.

Breaking News Radio
The judges did not select finalists in this category.

Breaking News/Spot News: Television
Bart Fraize - NTV News - St. John's, NL - Springdale Street Fire.
Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon - CBC News - Saint John, NB - Oland Homicide Search Warrant.
David Cochrane - CBC News - St. John's, NL - Murder on Portugal Cove Road.
Phonse Jessome/David Laughlin - CBC News - Halifax, NS - Fiery Crash.

Enterprise Reporting: Print
Peter McGuire - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - Martha's Mystery.
Stacey Colwell - Bridgewater Bulletin - Bridgewater, NS - School Board Controversy.
Tim Bousquet - The Coast - Halifax, NS - Peter Kelly's Failure of Will.

Enterprise Reporting: Radio
Kate Letterick/Karin Reid-LeBlanc - CBC Radio - Moncton, NB - Grasshopper Foundation.
Maggie Rahr/Christina Harnett - CBC Radio - Halifax, NS - Proof of L.O.V.E.
Marie-Eve Cousineau - Radio-Canada Acadie - Moncton, NB - Lorsque le vestiaire deviant une salle de classe.

Enterprise Reporting: Television
David Cochrane/Darryl Murphy - CBC News - St. John's, NL - Life Altering Injuries.
Rebecca Lau - Global Maritimes - Dartmouth, NS - Organ Donation Series.
Zach Goudie - CBC News - St. John's, NL - Behind Closed Doors.

Feature Writing: Print
Hilary Paige Smith - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - Artistic Cabbie not Driven by Money.
Lois Legge - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS - Seeing the World in Black and White.

Feature Writing: Radio
Bethany Horne/Christina Harnett - CBC Maritime Magazine - Halifax, NS - The Colored Home.
Connell Smith - CBC Maritime Magazine - Saint John, NB - The St. Croix Alewives.
Diane Paquette/Mary Lynk - The Late Show - CBC Radio - Halifax, NS - Ottilia Chareka.

Feature Writing: Television
Anne Godin - Radio-Canada Acadie - Moncton, NB - La petite fille aux sous noirs.
Brian Higgins - CBC PEI - Charlottetown, PEI - Guard Dog.
Natalie Kalata - CBC News - St. John's, NL - 9/11 Jersey Girls.

Business Reporting: Any Medium
Brett Bundale - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS - NewPage Bidding War.
Marc-Antoine Ruest/Peter Dawson/Paul-Emile d'Entremont - Radio-Canada Acadie - Halifax, NS - Chantier Naval Irving: rétombées, attentes et défis.
Marie Wadden - CBC News - St. John's, NL - Courting Greenland.

Sports Reporting: Any Medium
Monty Mosher - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS - Between Wind & Water.
Robin Short - The Telegram - St. John's, NL - Pro Hockey Returns to St. John's.
Zach Goudie - CBC News - St. John's, NL - Coady Porter's Story.

Arts & Entertainment Reporting: Any Medium
Jacques Poitras - CBC Maritime Magazine - Fredericton, NB - Fourteen Angels.
Marty Klinkenberg - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - John Richardson.
Rob Antle - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - Stage Fright.

Commentary: Any Medium
Craig Babstock - Times & Transcript - Moncton, NB - A Letter to a Brave Woman Who Refuses to be a 'Victim'.
Marilla Stephenson - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS - Go Ahead and Laugh.
Paul McLeod - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS - Memo to Mayor Peter Kelly.

Best Television News Broadcast (Same Date Newscast)
CBC News - Compass - Charlottetown, PEI.
CBC News - Here and Now - St. John's, NL.
Global Maritimes - Evening News - Dartmouth, NS.

Video Journalist: Television
Kevin Harvey - CBC News - Halifax, NS.
Peter Cowan - CBC News - St. John's, NL.
Stéphanie Blanchet - Radio-Canada Acadie - Halifax, NS.
Steve Thomson - NTV - St. John's, NL.

Editorial Cartooning
Bruce MacKinnon - The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS.
Greg Perry - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB.
Michael de Adder - Several Maritime Newspapers.
Sean Leslie Casey - Cape Breton Post - Sydney, NS.

Best Information News Radio Program (Selected Program)
Information Morning Halifax - CBC Radio - Halifax, NS.
Maritime Morning - News95.7 - Rogers Radio - Halifax, NS.
The St. John's Morning Show - CBC News - St. John's, NL.

Best Radio Newscast (Selected Newscast)
CBC Radio News - Halifax, NS.
News95.7 - Rogers Radio - Halifax, NS.
VOCM Radio News - St. John's, NL.

Best Multimedia Feature (Special Project)
CBC New Brunswick - CBC New Brunswick Team - Fractured Future -The Shale Gas Story.
The Chronicle Herald - The Chronicle Herald Team - Crossroads - The Changing Face of Rural NS.
The Coast/King's School of Journalism - The Coast - University of King's College - Halifax, NS - Manufactured Slums.

The Jim MacNeill New Journalist Award
Bethany Horne - OpenFile - Halifax, NS.
Selena Ross -The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS.
Stephanie vanKampen - CBC PEI - Charlottetown, PEI.

Lifetime Achievement Award
The recipient of the 2011 AJAs Lifetime Achievement Award is the late Graham W. Dennis owner and publisher of The Chronicle Herald, Halifax NS.  Mr. Dennis died last year at the age of 84 after spending more than 57 years with the newspaper.  Born in Halifax in 1927 and a fiercely proud Nova Scotian, Graham Dennis became publisher in the days of typewriters and telegraphs and presided over one of Canada's few independent newspapers into the Internet age.

Mr. Dennis, as he was known to all on his staff, was still proprietor of The Halifax Herald Ltd. and publisher of The Chronicle Herald well past his 80th birthday. His tenure at the paper extended into the digital age, when newspapers are as well-known for websites as for newsprint.  It is an era that would have seemed utterly foreign to him in 1954 when, at age 26, he became publisher after the death of his revered father. Never during that time did he lose faith in the idea that a daily newspaper should be a force for positive change in the community, as well as a business.  He was responsible for hiring hundreds of journalism students for summer work terms and was a friendly counsel and advisor to hundreds of other journalists throughout his career.  Because of his leadership the Chronicle Herald is still a dominant newspaper in Canada.

Tickets for the Atlantic Journalism Awards show and gala dinner are available online at www.AJAs.ca. For daily updates, follow the AJAs on Twitter (@AtlanticJAwards) and "like" the Facebook fan page.