Several OutSFL writers won awards Friday during the Sunshine State Awards ceremony.

The annual contest honors the best journalism in Florida from the prior year. Christiana Lilly took home first place in the category of Beat Reporting: Underrepresented Communities for her extensive coverage of the murders of transgender people in Florida, for the now defunct South Florida Gay News. Lilly also won third place for Public Service Reporting in the Magazine Division for her work at Fort Lauderdale Magazine.

John Hayden won first place for in the Obituary Reporting category for his profile in SFGN of Rev. Patrick Rogers, a well-known local religious leader. Hayden also took second place, along with John McDonald, in the Hyperlocal Reporting category for their coverage of Wilton Manors in The Wilton Manors Gazette. Some of their stories included coverage of the mayor’s election race and the bomb threat in the city.

McDonald also won second place in the Obituary Reporting category for his profile in SFGN of Steve Smith, a Key West icon.

Finally Steve Rothaus won two third place awards for his work at SFGN – one for his profile, “Gay Couple Opens Doors to Ukrainians Fleeing War,” in the Feature Reporting category.  The second in Profile Reporting, which included the story of a 20-year relationship between two same-sex pelicans; and Steve Glassman, an activist and City Commissioner of Fort Lauderdale.