Best Feature/Lifestyle Pages ( Division B,Division A )Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Daily News Entry Title: April 28, 2022; Sept. 9, 2021; Feb. 10, 2022 Entry Credit: Dan Muckelbauer Judge Comment: April 28: Top story is well-written and the use of the breakout info sections looks nice, giving the package multiple entry points. The thumbnail-style photos across the top are a little small even in this digital format, so I imagine they must have been a bit hard to make out in print as well, especially the one on the far right. Bottom half of the page is very basic, and the bottom story appears to be a rewritten press release, so nothing much to comment on there.
Sept. 9: Top package is nicely designed, and the photos are great. I would have appreciated the photos being played a little larger if possible, especially the vertical image. The top story headline and the headline for the book column are both clever, and each story is well-written. The remainder of the page is pretty basic and appears to be a collection of rewritten press releases. That being said, there is a lot of news about local events being presented, so I must imagine your readers appreciate that.
Feb. 10: The most well-designed page of the bunch because you're not trying to get too many stories or separate elements onto a single page. The top package carries the page with a nice use of photos and multiple text entry points in the way of a pull quote, breakout info sections, a decent headline/deck headline combination and some subheads within the story text. And getting some historical and strategic context for a sport like curling. Some explanation of the rules of the game would have been nice, though. Book column at the bottom of the page is a nice touch and well-written.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Freeman Entry Title: April 21, 2022; May 12, 2022; June 30, 2022 Entry Credit: Dan Muckelbauer Judge Comment: April 21: The top package is well-designed with plenty of good entry points for your reader. You've employed a nice use of pull quotes and a breakout info section for the package, and the headline gets the reader's attention. The submitted photos don't appear to be the best quality. It's a shame because one imagines they would have been really nice if shot with a better camera or by a better photographer. The list within the story is helpful to the reader, giving them a way to quickly glance at the bolded text and get the description of that particular attraction. The stories on the bottom half of the page appear to be press release rewrites, but they are played well on the page, working with your ad stack nicely.
May 12: I'm not sure why the photo framing is being done how it is. It looks like an error with all that white space at the left side and bottom. I suppose it is intentional because they are all like that, but the question would be "why?" What is the purpose of that design technique being employed? What does it reflect about the story content? Not much, if anything, as far as I can tell. The story is well-written, and the subheads have a nice formula with the name of the place and then a quote pulled from the text. The breakout section at the bottom is very helpful to a reader wanting to get some quick information about the various attractions discussed in the story. The page design works well with your ad stack.
June 30: Lifeguard story is a relevant features take on a news story in regards to the lifeguard shortage being experienced in the area. The two info box sections and the pull quote offer some different entry points for your readers. The photos are nice and played well on the page, especially the submitted photo of the girl jumping into the pool, which works well with your headline. The bottom half of the page does have a couple bumping headlines, but the amount of white space between them coupled with the divider line should be plenty to keep any reader from thinking they are related or "reading across." Animal photos are cute, but the seal photo is too small to be of much use.
Competition Comment: The best entries here were the ones that provided readers the most local features and entertainment news. The designs were nice throughout, but taking the time and effort to tell people what kinds of fun and interesting attractions and events were happening in their areas is what was most impressive.
