Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Chippewa Herald Entry Title: General Excellence Entry Credit: Staff Judge Comment: Of all the submissions, The Chippewa Herald presented the most complete newspaper — from hard news and features, to comprehensive sports and a great “Lively” section. Yes, there was wire copy, but what struck me was the excellent presentation of that news; not relegated to simple story layout, wire reports were given the full weight of solid headlines, artwork and layouts. A special shout out to Audrey Korte: I wish she had submitted several of the articles in these editions; they were excellent.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Freeman Entry Title: Sept. 30, 2023; Nov. 22, 2023; Feb. 24, 2024 Entry Credit: Staff Judge Comment: Visually appealing throughout, The Freeman does a great job presenting the news throughout its pages, backed by locally sourced news before all else. This focus on community was obvious throughout the pages, backed by graphically appealing layouts and artwork. I particularly liked the “Updates” graphic presentation of local stories being covered by the newspaper — but I couldn’t tell how often this feature is used. What a great way to provide readers with developments without another lengthy story. Well done.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Daily News Entry Title: Sept. 9, 2023; Feb. 10, 2024; July 16, 2024 Entry Credit: Staff Judge Comment: The editors of the Washington County Daily News love photos, using them effectively to draw the reader into the story. No, the writing didn’t always rise to the level of the layout, but for the most part, the staff delivered. Overall, the paper is an appealing product that just needs some stronger editing.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: EagleHerald Entry Title: General excellence for EagleHerald Entry Credit: Dan Kitkowski, Erin Noha, Matt Lehmann, Paul Williams Judge Comment:
Solid effort all the way around.
