The Press Newspaper Group won the most awards of any group or chain in New York State in the 2008 Better Newspaper Contest sponsored by the New York Press Association. The awards were presented at NYPA’s Spring Convention held in Saratoga Springs on April 3 and 4.
Together, Press newspapers won 47 awards for editorial content, advertising, photography and design, competing in various divisions against newspapers of comparable circulation.
The East Hampton Press won both the Past Presidents Award for General Excellence and the John J. Evans Award for Advertising Excellence, presented to the single newspaper that tallies the most contest points for advertising awards.
The East Hampton Press won a total of six first-place awards, one second-place award, and six third-place awards. First-place awards included Photographic Excellence, Best Editorial Pages, Advertising Excellence, Best Advertising Campaign (Small Space) and Best Large-Space Ad.
“Great design, very clean, stories well done. All-around fantastic paper,” the judges said of The East Hampton Press. “What community wouldn’t love this paper?”
The Eastern Edition of The Southampton Press won seven first-place awards, three second-place awards, and six third-place awards. First-place awards included the Past Presidents Award for General Excellence, the Richard L. Stein Award for Overall Design Excellence, Best Editorial Pages, Best Real Estate/Home Section for the Residence section, and Best News/Feature Series for a series of articles and photos on a group of local doctors who traveled to Peru on a medical mission. First-place awards for advertising included Best Advertising Campaign (Large Space) and Best House Ad/Ad Campaign.
“Strong reporting/editing coupled with use of photography makes this paper a standout,” the judges said of the Eastern Edition.
The Western Edition of The Southampton Press won a total of six first-place awards, one second-place award, and three third-place awards. The edition placed third in the competition for the Past Presidents Award for General Excellence, and staff writer Vera Chinese placed third for Rookie Reporter of the Year.
First-place awards included two by staff writer Jessica DiNapoli, for Coverage of Education and for Spot News Coverage; Best Sports Coverage, for the Sports & Outdoors section; Best Sports Feature, for a story by Sports Editor Cailin Brophy; Coverage of the Arts; and Special Holiday Edition, for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade publication.
“Good photos, good content, clean design, crisp reproduction,” the judges said of the Western Edition.
The Press of Manorville and the Moriches won six first-place awards, including the Richard L. Stein Award for Overall Design Excellence. Staff writer Bryan Finlayson won first place in Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science for a story that judges called “shoe-leather reporting at its best.” Staff writer Jennett Meriden Russell earned a first-place award for Coverage of Crime/Police/Courts, a story the judges credited as “well written, well reported.” She added a first-place award for Picture Story.
First-place awards also went to The Press of Manorville and the Moriches for Editorials, and for Best Special Section, for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade publication.
The Eastern Edition of The Southampton Press and The East Hampton Press finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in total contest points among single newspapers. The Western Edition of The Southampton Press finished fourth in total editorial contest points.
Established in 1853, NYPA is the trade association representing the community newspapers of New York State, including weekly, small daily and culturally specific papers.
on Apr 20, 2009