Next Door Media’s MyBallard.com edged out finalists LA Times and Miami Herald to win a prestigious Online Journalism Award for community collaboration.

“My Ballard is exactly what newspapers are trying to do with hyperlocal content. And these guys do it,” said the judges. “There was no site that fulfills the sense of community collaboration better. It’s the literal definition of the category.”

We’re truly honored, and as we wrote on My Ballard, our neighborhood readers and contributors deserve all the accolades. Next Door Media editors, who live in the neighborhoods we cover, provide a layer of journalism over a thriving community. With the vast majority of stories originating from our neighbors, in many ways editors “moderate” the neighborhood more than we “cover” it.

This award illustrates that local journalism and neighborhood-powered news sites have a promising future, and we’re excited to be a part of it.