Nick Stonesifer wins Rookie of the Year

Nick Stonesifer of Spotlight Delaware wins the MDDC Rookie of the Year 2025 prize for new journalists for his “well researched, well written and important work.” 

This award honors a new journalist with less than 18 months' experience in the field.  The submission package included three to five clips of the reporter's work and a letter of recommendation from their editor.    

The judges were impressed with the seven nominees, noting that some of them have been working for just a short period of time and producing exceptional work.  Each of the nominees is an obvious asset to their publication and poised for additional growth. Journalists today need to be able to tell their stories in a meaningful way, and all of the nominees demonstrated strong skills that contribute to their publications’ success.  

The judges remarked that Stonesifer’s  “familiarity with the use of FOI requests was impressive and demonstrated a focused work ethic. He was holding institutions and their leadership accountable. The health care stories were looking out for segments of his communities that often don’t have a voice or aren’t heard. And the story about the suicide rate among farmers was an eye-opener. He has a bright future in the business. “  

In his nomination letter, editor Jacob Owens writes that Nick “Nick has become a backbone for editorial coverage in our newsroom, as his ability to fact-find and create story ideas independently has led to coverage not otherwise being provided elsewhere in the state and not being generated by an editor. 

He is also quick to help his colleagues, volunteering to staff community engagement efforts, run out to grab a photo, or picking up daily work to help fill the newsletter.” 

Stonesifer is a 2024 graduate of Penn State University. 

Listen to the podcast featuring the Rookie of the Year nominees here. 

Marwa Barakat, The Frederick News-Post 

Andy Schotz, Marwa’s editor writes “Marwa Barakat was an excellent intern for The Frederick News-Post in 2023, after her sophomore year in college. We were thrilled to hire her in June 2025 after graduation. 

Marwa’s beat is health and the environment, but she takes on much more. 

She stepped in to take over coverage of two of the longest-running, complicated topics in our areas — the county’s planning and zoning of data centers and, related, a highly controversial proposed power transmission line project known by its acronym of MPRP. 

Marwa quickly became our resident expert on both. 

We’ve grown to rely on Marwa to dive into weighty, complex and sensitive topics because of how smartly she covers them. Her reporting is comprehensive and careful. Her writing is clear and careful, making sure every word is right.”  

Shane Brennan, The News Journal 

Jamesetta Miller Walker, Shane’s editor, writes “Shane had not even been on the job in August 2024 long enough to complete his onboarding when he eagerly volunteered to cover the aftermath of a tornado that ripped through northern Delaware. 

From that day forward, Shane has demonstrated nonstop enthusiasm and dexterity. He was hired to be a community reporter primarily focusing on Newark, and to be part of the weekend breaking/trending team. Shane embraced community presence, and his willingness to immerse himself was an immediate payoff. On one of his very first Saturdays Shane brought in some 15,000 story views alone from reporting at the Marley Fest. Shane would keep up this trend with coverage of weekend protests, civic engagements for the underserved and even quirky ideas like ranking every Wawa he’s visited. His coverage of a controversial proposed ballpark in Newark no doubt led to council’s decision to scrap it.”  

Esther Frances, The Frederick News-Post 

Andy Schotz, Esther’s editor, writes “When Esther Frances joined The Frederick News-Post in July 2024, she quickly worked to master coverage of education, a critical beat for us, with some of the most contentious issues. Esther has covered them all thoroughly and fairly. 

The most difficult, contentious topic has been the school system’s gender identity policy, which addresses bathrooms, athletic teams, pronouns and more. Esther has examined many angles and given a platform for many voices speaking about the policy, for and against — all with the backdrop of a changing national approach toward transgender rights under the Trump administration. 

Esther works hard, accomplishes a lot and takes great pride in her reporting and writing, which is apparent.” 

Taylor Lyons, The Baltimore Sun 

Anthony Maluso, Taylor’s editor, writes “Taylor came aboard full time in October 2024, and since then he has displayed exceptional news judgment, strong writing and reporting skills, and an ability to cultivate strong relationships. In 2024, after being on the job less than three months, Taylor placed sixth in the national APSE contest for best short feature in his division. 

While some journalists are strong feature writers and others are strong news reporters, Taylor has shown prowess in both. He serves as Baltimore Sun Media's Harford County sports beat writer, while also handling Baltimore Sun general assignment duties. He has drawn ire from county public school officials for pushing on hard news stories that don’t necessarily put the district in a positive light, the true mark of a tough reporter.”  

Kennedy Thomason, Caroline Review 

Debbie Bowden, publisher of the Caroline Review, writes  that Kennedy “joined the Caroline Review as a correspondent in January 2025, her first job as a journalist. 

Caroline Review is a “micro local” news source, covering the people and events in Caroline County, Maryland. Ms. Thomason is a life-long resident of the county, part of a family that is well known and well respected. Her connection to the people, businesses, and organizations is invaluable in providing deep context to the stories she writes. Readers have told me that they like her work because it feels as though she is a trusted neighbor who is telling them what they need to know about the immediate world around them.”  

Ellie Wolfe, The Banner 

Ellie’s editor, Rachel Cieri Mull writes in her nomination letter, “Since Nov. 4, 2024, when she came to The Banner from the Arizona Daily Star, Ellie’s work has consistently been among the outlet’s most-read stories. She’s earned a reputation as a formidable watchdog — the state university system has been known to announce her presence at board meetings — and an affable colleague who’s always cracking jokes. She’s the sort of fearless reporter who’ll cover a protest in the pouring rain one day and shadow conservative commentators the next. She’s even developed a mini-beat covering the legal troubles of “Real Housewives of Potomac” stars who live in Maryland.”