To win again.

• Author: Kinney, David
• Position: UPFRONT - Ed Martin

The emcee at the ceremony in Indianapolis suggested that the Alliance of Area Business Publications open a hall of fame so it could put Ed Martin in it. After all, this was the fifth time our senior contributing editor has won the organization's top award for best body of work by a magazine writer, including one stretch of three consecutive years. That doesn't include the two silver prizes and one bronze he has received in this category. Or the two other awards he got this year.

In all, Ed has taken 21 prizes--15 of them gold--in the annual AABP Editorial Excellence Awards, a record unparalleled in regional business journalism and a big reason this magazine can claim nearly 100 national honors for its writing, reporting and design. (Not that anyone's keeping score, mind you.)

Here's what the judges--members of the University of Missouri journalism faculty--had to say about some of the entries that won him this year's gold: "Great detail gives wings to great writing. You can almost hear the stillness when Martin poses tough questions to race team owner Rick Hendrick [March 2009], or hear the hope and hopelessness of Hispanic workers [May 2009]; he even makes you feel the emptiness of a has-been shopping mall [October 2009]. Martin clearly elevates every story he touches, regardless of subject, and is one of the few writers who uses dialogue well."

That touch is evident in the cover story that won the bronze prize for best personality profile: "Strong narrative elements--scene-setting, dialogue, character development and effective use of anecdotes--reveal the personal tribulations of NASCAR icon Rick Hendrick in the context of his business empire." Ed's gift for storytelling shines through three pieces that took the bronze for best local angle of a national business/economics story. "With engaging narrative, reporter Edward Martin takes readers on a tour of North Carolina hospitals in the midst of the national health care debate. He paints a variety of stories, showing one strong hospital that was crippled...