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Editors from The Half Moon Bay Review took home 16 awards from the California Newspaper Publishers’ Association’s Better Newspaper Contest luncheon in Universal City on Oct. 25. It was the newspaper’s largest contest haul in recent memory.
More than 200 newspapers entered the contest in several circulation categories; for the second year in a row, the Review trailed only the Los Angeles Times in both the total number of awards received and number of first-place awards earned.
Review Designer and Production Manager Bill Murray took first place for illustration and info-graphic for his October 2007 magazine cover design. Former Review photographer Leigh Ann Maze’s photo essay on people who live aboard their boats was judged the best in the category. Former Review reporters David Smydra and Nick Casey took first-place prizes for business and enterprise reporting, respectively. Former Review writer Lewis Rutherfurd took the top prize for writing for his story on the violent road that ended in an arrest for murder. It was the second year in a row the newspaper claimed that prize.
In addition, writer Stacy Trevenon earned first prize for her lifestyle coverage and Managing Editor Clay Lambert was awarded first prize for his editorial comment.
Additionally, the newspaper took first prize for best editorial page and coverage of breaking news and earned second-place notice in another seven categories. The newspaper also earned honorable mentions for another 10 projects.
Vail Sun and San Pedro Valley News-Sun Senior Reporter Thelma Grimes was named the Arizona Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Newspaper Association Saturday in Phoenix during the annual Better Newspapers awards banquet.
Thelma Grimes was named the Arizona Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Newspaper Association
With 63 newspapers entering the BNC contest, Grimes snatched the top honor for all non-daily newspapers in the state. Grimes was surprised by the honor, which she received for her work with the Vail Sun and the San Pedro Valley News-Sun in Benson. The nomination included several stories about issues facing the two communities located in Southern Arizona.
Among other awards, four Wick newspapers won general excellence in their respective circulation categories. The Nogales International and the San Pedro Valley News Sun won first and second places, respectively, among non-daily newspapers under 3,500 circulation. The Eastern Arizona Courier won third place it its circulation category, and the Sierra Vista Herald won second place among dailies under 25,000 circulation.
In Best Use of Photography, Wick newspapers swept the entire circulation category for non-dailies under 3,500 with the Nogales International, San Pedro Valley News Sun and Arizona Range News winning first, second and third places respectively. The Sierra Vista Herald won first place for best photography for dailies under 25,000 circulation. Wick newspaper also swept “Best Special Section, Supplement,” with the Parker Pioneer, first place; The Copper Era, second; and the Arizona Range News, third.
First-place awards, issued in various newspaper circulation categories, also went to:
Reporting and Newswriting Excellence: Nogales International, Eastern Arizona Courier, Sierra Vista Herald.
Departmental News and Copywriting Excellence: San Pedro Valley News Sun, Sierra Vista Herald.
Page Design: Nogales International, Sierra Vista Herald.
Community Service/Journalistic Achievement: Arizona Range News.
Best sports photo and best feature photo: Arizona Range News.
Best column, analysis or commentary: Arizona Range News.
In the journalist of the year competition, judges look for the overall quality of the journalist’s published work and actions demonstrating significant impact on their community, their newspaper and/or the newspaper industry. Entries showcase a journalist’s dedication, thoroughness, talent, and reflect the reporter’s ability to go above and beyond.
“It was a very close competition for journalist of the year,” said judges. “But Grimes has shown the tenacity and spirit of a true journalist and it’s no surprise that not one, but two newspapers nominated her. She is a leader in her community and industry.”
Grimes has been a journalist for Wick Communications for just over nine years. She is the senior reporter and sports editor for the Vail and Benson newspapers.
Jane Amari, publisher of the Benson paper, said, “Thelma is the epitome of a community journalist. She knows everybody and everybody talks to her. People trust her, and as a result, she doesn’t miss much.”
In 2006, Grimes was named the Arizona Press Club Community Journalist of the Year, and for her work in Vail, was a runner up in 2007 for the same award.
Wick Communications was proud to announce that the Nogales International came home, literally, with a bag full of awards Saturday from the 2008 Arizona Newspaper Association Better Newspapers Contest awards dinner. The ceremony took place in Phoenix at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
The milestone, which falls on the coattail of the newspaper being named the Inland Press Association’s “Best in the Nation” for 2007, has begun a string of awards that the newspaper has recently received.
The Nogales International brought home nine awards Saturday – six of which were for first place. The most prestigious of the honors was the General Excellence Award for its circulation class (non-daily under 3,500). That award is decided on the most points for entries submitted in the editorial and advertising contests, according to ANA spokesperson Perri Collins. Although the NI did not submit any advertising contest entries, its editorial staff still had enough points to take top honors. That number of points, however, was not known by press time.
“That’s a great accomplishment,” said the paper’s Editor and Publisher Manuel C. Coppola. “If we would have submitted advertising entries, who knows what the numbers would have been, because our advertising staff surely would have held its own against the best in the state.”
From an editorial standpoint, however, the newspaper’s accomplishments broke down like this:
First place in Reporting and News Writing Excellence
First place in Page Design Excellence
First place in Best Use of Photography
First Place in Best Online Site / Web Page
Third place in Community Service and Journalistic Achievement
Individually, NI reporter Denise Holley took a second-place award in Best News Story for her article “Ceremony honors Cordova.” “A nice, feel-good story,” said one judge of Holley’s work.
“It’s the first journalism award I’ve had in five years,” said Holley, who has been with the NI since November, but in the newspaper business since 1984. “I’m happy to be here and contributing to the Nogales International.”
Other individual awards were won by Assistant Editor William Wilczewski, who took a first place in Best News Photograph and a second place in Best Feature Photo Layout. Judges emphasized that the composition and cropping of the photos is what stole their vote.
“Taking accident photos is easy, but capturing the human emotion involved is much more difficult,” said one judge. “The photographer here did that exceptionally well.”
“We don’t get paid much in this business, so these awards are real nice to get,” said Wilczewski with a snicker. “Seriously, though, it’s a pleasure to serve such a close-knit community. The people around here are what makes it all worthwhile.”
On a side note, Wilczewski lauded the work of everyone on the NI staff, but emphasized the work of David M. Ramirez, design and production, and Christian Ramirez, the newspaper’s former Webmaster, for their contributions to the contest.
This year, 63 newspapers and 12 high schools entered the contest for a total of 1,197 entries, according to an ANA press release. The ANA Better Newspapers Contest consists of nine categories that measure the overall quality of the newspapers and 13 categories that honor individuals who contribute to journalism excellence.
The Kentucky Press Association helped judge this year’s entries.
PHOENIX — The Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review received 14 awards, including nine first-place honors, in the Arizona Newspaper Association’s 2008 Better Newspaper Contest.
The awards were announced during a banquet on Saturday night at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix.
The Herald/Review received its honors in the under 25,000 circulation category. Similar size newspapers in the category included the Yuma Daily Sun, Lake Havasu Today’s News-Herald, The Casa Grande Dispatch and others.
The editorial staff received five first-place honors in the categories of reporting in newswriting excellence, departmental news and copywriting excellence, page design excellence, best use of photography and newspaper online site/Web page.
The newspapers received second-place honors in general excellence and community service/journalistic achievement. The general excellence honor is calculated from honors won in the ANA’s Excellence in Advertising Contest earlier this year and the Better Newspapers Contest.
Seven individual honors also were given to Herald/Review editorial staff members.
Sports Editor Matt Hickman received two first-place awards, one in the best team, sport or sports beat coverage category, and one for his column “Al-Qaida saved football” in the best column, feature or criticism category.
Reporter Dana Cole received a first-place in the best news story category for her story “Couple saw red flags during move.”
Herald/Review City Editor Ted Morris also received a third-place honor in that category for his story “Border critic gets buzzed by F-16s.”
Photographer Suzanne Cronn received a first-place honor in the best feature photo layout category for her entry titled “Journey to Iraq.” Cronn and senior reporter Bill Hess traveled to Iraq in December and January to cover what American soldiers are doing there, including those from Fort Huachuca. Hess also was honored for his work in Iraq, receiving a second-place honor for best sustained coverage or series.
Reporter Jonathon Shacat also received a second-place award in the best lifestyle feature story category for his article “Water in the desert.”
Half Moon Bay Review Managing editor and Wick Communications Editorial Director Clay Lambert has received notice that he has won first place in the Inland Press Association’s Editorial Excellence Awards Contest.
The award was given for a selection of five editorials Lambert wrote in 2007 and 2008. It will be presented during the Inland Press Association’s annual meeting later this month.
The editorials championed the rights of immigrants, chided local government for hiding public documents and took the school board president to task for his dual and conflicting roles in the community, among other things.
"The editorials targeted the failures and foibles of local government using strong language and solid arguments,” according to the judges. “Some stands, no doubt, were unpopular, but necessary, and the Half Moon Bay Review did not shy from any.”
The award was for newspapers with a circulation up to 25,000 readers, which meant newspapers three times the size of the Review were eligible. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle received second place and the Cape Coral Daily Breeze in Florida was the third-place recipient.
The contest was sponsored by the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.
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