28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. Chronicle wins three awards in Society for Features Journalism contest
The Society for Features Journalism announced winners of its annual Excellence-in-Features Awards last week, honoring the San Francisco Chronicle in three categories for its food and arts writing.
The Chronicle, which competes in Division 3 for the largest newspapers and digital publications, won first place for Arts and Entertainment Feature and Food Writing Portfolio, as well as third place for Food Criticism.
The SFJ awards honor the best in features journalism — 'stories that illuminate everyday lives and the rich diversity of our individual experiences' — across a range of categories from criticism to podcasts and social media. Judges for this year's contest reviewed more than 1,000 entries across three divisions.
Chronicle contributor Todd Inoue took the top prize for Arts and Entertainment feature with his story, 'How a UC Berkeley student went from making cringey TikToks to playing festival sets,' a profile of TikTok sensation Amanda Shultz, aka DJ Mandy, and the incongruous mixes that have propelled her rise.
'This story has all the elements of a perfect A&E feature,' judges wrote. 'It's descriptive, revealing and fun.'
In the category of Food Writing Portfolio, which considers multiple stories by a single author, Chronicle reporter Elena Kadvany won first place; her selection of work included a profile of a baker facing a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and an interactive guide to scoring a reservation at the notoriously popular House of Prime Rib.
'Will I bribe my way into a reservation, or will I follow the frustrating timeline of the rule follower? This writer has the answer, no matter the question,' judges commented.
SFJ also honored Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan, who won third in Food Criticism for her review of Tadich Grill, 'The problem with San Francisco's oldest restaurant,' and an honorable mention for Food Writing Portfolio.
These awards show the continued success of the Chronicle's features writing; in 2024, the Chronicle won four awards in the SFJ contest.
The San Francisco Chronicle ( is the largest newspaper in Northern California and the second largest on the West Coast. Acquired by Hearst in 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by Charles and Michael de Young and has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence. Follow us on Twitter at @SFChronicle.
