Hard-working union activists and outstanding journalists were recognized Saturday at the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild’s annual Front Page Awards, a ceremony that also honored the legacy of two recently deceased Guild officers.

The Connie Knox Memorial Award, named for the longtime Baltimore Sun copy editor who rose to be the local’s president and ultimately international chair for The Newspaper Guild-CWA, was given to Knox for her lifetime achievement, and will honor the “long and distinguished service” of other Guild members in the future. Knox died July 17, 2011, shortly after retiring from her Guild position.

J. Darlene Meyer, Guild unit leader for the commercial side of the Washington Post and vice president of the Washington-Baltimore local, died Jan. 20, 2012. Meyer was named “Customer Service Professional of the Year,” an award that has been renamed in her honor. Meyer shared a second honor, "Member of the Year," with Post Guild Unit Co-Chair Freddy Kunkle.

Other Guild service awards honored Gwen Holmes of the Bloomberg Bureau of National Affairs for community service; Byron Charlton of the AFL-CIO as “Unit Officer of the Year”; James Crudup of The Washington Post as “Organizer of the Year”; and Dawan Jones of the National Association of Social Workers as “Steward of the Year.”

Washington-Baltimore Guild President Sheila Lindsay read a letter from one of Jones’ colleagues, who nominated him for the award, praising his diligence, professionalism and fearlessness when taking on management.  “In the overriding struggle for equality, due process and social justice at NASW, Mr. Jones persistently embodies the essence of leadership and earnest dedication --attributes that have discernibly preserved numerous union jobs… please acknowledge Dawan Jones for his courage, work ethic and adherence to the principle (that) all human beings should be treated and viewed fairly, justly and without prejudice. “

The local also gave a host of awards honoring outstanding writing, reporting, photography and more. The list of awards follows, with links, as available, to the winners’ work.

Bill Pryor Memorial Grand Prize for Writing to Jamie Smith Hopkins of The Baltimore Sun for “Homes for $10,000 or Less.” Hopkins also received the Frank C. Porter Memorial Award for Labor and Business Reporting for the same article. Also in labor and business, an honorable mention to David Hilsendrath of the Post for stories on Justice Department investigations.

Bill Pryor Memorial Grand Prize for Photography to Mark Gail of The Washington Post for “Punching His Ticket.” The photo, of an exhausted boxer, also won for “Distinguished Portrait Photography.”

Morton Mintz Award for Investigative Reporting to Jamie Smith Hopkins and Scott Calvert of the Sun for “Distorted Discount: The story of the impact of the homestead tax credit.”

Distinguished Feature Writing to Mike Klingaman of the Sun for “In sickness and in health, ex-Colt Miller and his wife march on together.”  Honorable mention to Erik Maza of the Sun for “Another Round of National Premium: Easton man owns brand name, formula, hopes to join beer revival.”

Distinguished Local News Reporting to Timothy B. Wheeler and Scott Calvert of the Sun for “City stumbles on lead paint cleanup.” Honorable mention to Erik Maza for “Think Before you leap.”

Distinguished International News Reporting to Dennis Sadowski of Catholic News Service for a six-part series on conditions in Haiti two years after the earthquake. Click here for one of his articles and find more at CatholicNews.com

Distinguished Specialized Technical Reporting to Tripp Baltz, Martha Kessler, Nora Macaluso, Lorraine McCarthy, Jerry Silverman, Mark Wolski, Bebe Raupe and Nancy Moore of Bloomberg BNA for “States move forward with proliferation of fracking wells in the U.S.”

Distinguished News Analysis to Amena H. Saiyid of Bloomberg BNA for “EPA riders are out of spending bill, but analysts say battle far from over.”

Distinguished Headline Writing to Carlos Hamann of Agence France-Presse for “Don’t Die for me, Argentina: crypt next to Evita for sale.”

Distinguished Sports Photography to John McDonnell of the Post for "Home Invasion" Click here for a gallery of McDonnell's work.

Distinguished Feature Photography to Mark Gail of the Post for “Maryland legislature.”

Distinguished Website Design to Chris Garlock of the Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO.