NNA announces 2018 newspaper contest General Excellence winners

Jul 24, 2018

Judging results have been processed and the General Excellence winners of the National Newspaper Association 2018 Better Newspaper Contest and Better Newspaper Advertising Contest have been posted online here.

Judging results have been processed and the General Excellence winners of the National Newspaper Association 2018 Better Newspaper Contest and Better Newspaper Advertising Contest have been posted online here.

Winners will be recognized at the awards breakfast, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, during NNA’s 132nd Annual Convention & Trade Show at the Waterside Marriott in Norfolk, VA. When notified, the first-place winners had some positive things to say about the newspaper industry and NNA.

“Holy guacamole!" said Max Branscomb, the adviser for student publications at Southwestern College. "The staff and faculty of the Southwestern College Sun are beyond thrilled but also humbled to be honored in this manner by the National Newspaper Association, whose members we look up to and aspire to emulate.  Thank you very much for this recognition of our hard-working students. It means a great deal to all of us.”

The Southwestern College Sun in Chula Vista, CA, won first place in the college division.

"What an incredible honor," said Kevin Hessel, executive editor for the Ark in Tiburon, CA. "We're absolutely thrilled. I'm so happy for and proud of my colleagues here at The Ark, and I'm proud to work with such a talented team of dedicated journalists. I know we didn't get into this business to win awards, but it's always a great, validating feeling to be recognized by your peers for your hard work in trying to serve your community as best you can.

"We're still trying to figure out if/how I can make it out there, but we're working on it. I'd love to be in attendance. Thanks again!"

The Ark won first place in the non-daily division, circulation less than 3,000.

Chris Baker, publisher of the Taos News, said, "The General Excellence award from the National Newspaper Association is a powerful reminder of something our readers already know: The Taos (NM) News staff is among the best in the business, producing top-notch reporting, photography, writing, and ad design every week of the year. Both in print and online.
 
“We are fortunate to employ so many talented individuals and to win the prestigious General Excellence award eight of the last 11 years.”

The Taos News won first place in the non-daily division, circulation 6,000-9,999.

Bruce Miller, editor of the Sioux City (IA) Journal, said, “It’s gratifying to receive this kind of recognition for doing the kind of local journalism that has always been a hallmark of our newspaper. In these trying times for journalists, it’s great to know others appreciate the hard work that goes into keeping readers well-informed about the events and people around them.”

The Sioux City Journal won first place in the daily division.

“We’re honored to receive this award from the NNA," said Greg Foley, editor of the Idaho Mountain Express. "We believe in the importance of strong journalism. Our staff works very hard every day to produce quality newspapers and a website that tell the stories of our community, and it’s satisfying to see their work recognized.”

The Idaho Mountain Express, Ketchum, ID, won first place for non-daily division, circulation 10,000 or more.

"We have put together an incredibly talented staff that is focused on innovative, multimedia storytelling," said Andrew Olsen, publisher of the Times Review Media Group. "This is the first year that all three of our weeklies have been finalists which speaks volumes about the quality of our team, their creativity and our ability to adapt to a multi-channel publishing environment.”

The Riverhead News-Review in Mattituck, NY, won first place in the non-daily division, circulation 3,000-5,999.

Members submitted 1,405 entries in the Better Newspaper Editorial Contest and 202 entries in the Better Newspaper Advertising Contest for a total of 1,607 entries. One-hundred-fifteen member newspapers in 38 states won a total of 478 awards.

Active community newspaper editors and publishers, as well as retired university journalism professors and retired or former newspaper professionals, judged the contest.

To learn more about the convention go here. To register for NNA's convention, go here.