The Express News Group Wins Numerous Honors in State Newspaper Contest

Express News Group publications, editors, reporters, photographers, designers and advertising staff were honored with numerous awards in the New York Press Association 2023 Better Newspaper Contest, presented this past weekend in Saratoga Springs at the association’s spring conference.

The Southampton Press Eastern Edition took the top prize in the Past Presidents’ Award for General Excellence category.

“This newspaper is intensely local from the front of the book to the back of the book,” the judges said. “Strong headlines that hook readers into stories. Great art, color and content. The Southampton Press reflects the soul of its community. This entry is the best in a highly competitive division. Well done.”

The East Hampton Press came in second in the same category, with the judges remarking: “This paper has a clean look with some nice inside pages that are clearly designated. Newsy from front to back. Quality ads that attract the eye.”

East Hampton Press reporter Michael Wright placed second for Writer of the Year.

The judges said: “Very well-written and documented stories about local issues facing the community. His writing and reporting style is no doubt a reflection of the passion and empathy he has for his readership and the community he serves. His writings capture a wide variety of individual stories that are starting to disappear. These are the kind of stories Americans love to read. Great job.”

Express News Group Photo Editor Dana Shaw won second place in the competition for Photographer of the Year.

“The first thing the judges noticed about her work is how she is everywhere and shooting everything,” the comments read. “The judges, a group of seasoned news photographers, couldn’t believe that one photographer can be at so many assignments and were duly impressed.

“The judges’ favorite photos include the fire breather, squirrel leaping onto a chair, and the mail carrier. The photograph of the mail carrier is beautiful in showing how one person can have a big impression in a community. It’s a story in a single photograph, a feat that even the most veteran photographers have difficulty achieving.”

Shaw also won a third place award for Feature Photo(s) and earned an honorable mention for Spot News Photo(s).

Another South Fork photographer won third place for Photographer of the Year: The East Hampton Star’s Durell Godfrey.

The Express News Group swept its division in both the Photographic Excellence and Overall Design Excellence categories. The Southampton Press Eastern Edition took the top prize for photography and The Southampton Press Western Edition took the top prize for design. In both categories, The East Hampton Press and The Sag Harbor Express placed second and third, respectively.

“The judges were highly impressed with the quality and abundance of photography presented throughout the paper,” they said of the Eastern Edition. “… Special mention goes to the creative use of cutout photographs, which can be tricky in terms of maintaining the integrity of a photograph, but the paper did a fine job using cutouts to add visual depth to the pages.

“The July 6 stories on bees and libraries are the best examples of what this newspaper’s photography accomplishes, and what many news organizations strive for: enriching a reader’s experience by complementing excellent photography with great design.”

The judges said they love the typography and design of the Western Edition. “There were many entries that were super well done, but this one is the best,” they added. “The ad team hit an upper-deck homer with its messaging and design.”

Another sweep came in the Feature Story category, Division 6. Reporter Peter Boody, Arts & Living Editor Annette Hinkle and reporter Cailin Riley won first, second and third place, respectively.

“Winning these awards and being recognized by our peers for outstanding work means a lot to our entire staff,” Gavin Menu, The Express News Group’s co-publisher, said. “But one judge’s comment really stood out for me this year. They said that one of our papers ‘reflects the soul of its community.’ That really hit home for me.

“We are proud to be community journalists, and much of our success comes because of the connections we have with these incredible communities we serve on the East End. Not every publication or media outlet can say they have developed that deep of a connection with their readers.”

The Express Magazine, designed by Sag Harbor Express publisher emeritus Bryan Boyhan, topped the Overall Magazine Excellence category, and the magazine picked up first and second place honors for Best Special Section Cover.

“Beautiful covers and varied, creative design,” the judges said. “I love the creativity of the headlines and the special treatment given to individual features to make each stand out. And while the aesthetics are gorgeous, the writing stands out just as much with interesting, well-written articles throughout.”

Lori Hawkins photographed the first-place cover.

“The ‘herding bees’ cover is nothing short of impressive,” the judges said. “The image jumps off the page and demands your attention. The use of a black-and-white portrait juxtaposed with full-color imagery and text is a time-honored technique for building emphasis and interest, and this implementation is expertly done. You’d have no choice but to stop in your tracks and pick up this book based on the art alone.

“I love how the creators showed restraint in the use of headlines — this approach strengthens the impact of the wonderfully bizarre image and pulls all the attention to the bold sans serifs centered at bottom. It’s a beautiful hierarchy for a gorgeous cover. Keep up this great work!”

Floral portrait artist Debi Shapiro shot the image that graced the cover of the second-place winner. “Powerful, dense, rich in color and bold in design, the ‘Blooming Beauties’ cover demands your attention,” the judges said. “Using a basic floral arrangement as a lead image could be a cliché device on a lesser book, but the black background and deep shadows turn a simple bouquet into an emotional eye catcher for this magazine. The use of elegant typography with a floral flourish creates a fresh, bold and fun composition.”

The Express Magazine had a third-place finish in the Best Themed Issue category. “The Summer Book features a great layout with creative design and is full of great stories that tie together well,” the judges said.

“We put a lot of energy into our magazines and special sections — it doesn’t feel supplemental to me at all but a way to tap into different kinds of stories and ways to tell them in an expansive way that we really can’t do in the weekly newspapers,” said Kathryn Menu, The Express News Group’s co-publisher and editor of The Express Magazine. “These magazines feature the people and places that make this area what it is today, which is a world-class tourist destination that is also a very special home for many, with great history, the arts, nature and a food and wine culture I love to share with readers of The Express Magazine. Being recognized for that effort is an honor.”

Deputy Managing Editor Brendan J. O’Reilly, former Southampton Press reporter Tom Gogola and the Western Edition shared a first place win in the Coverage of Crime, Police, Courts category. “These stories represent great examples of bulldog-like investigation and follow through,” the judges said.

Features Editor Michelle Trauring, reporters Desirée Keegan, T.E. McMorrow, Wright and Gogola, and The East Hampton Press placed third in the category.

The Western Edition earned first place for Best Front Page, while The East Hampton Press took third.

Of the Western Edition, the judges said: “The designer gives the reader many entry points to the page and the covers consistently show strong design elements. There is a good mix of news and feature stories and the photo choices are strong, providing impactful photos on the page.”

Photographers Marianne Barnett and Ron Esposito won first and second place, respectively, in the Sports Action Photo(s) category.

“This is a really good photo,” the judges said of Barnett’s work. “The timing of catching the swimmer at the top of the stroke is excellent. Kudos to the photographer.”

Of Esposito, the judges said: “Really good action photo. Great emotion in the faces. I thought this photographer did an excellent job.”

Esposito also earned an honorable mention for Picture Story.

The Express News Group’s restaurant guide, 27east Dining, earned second place in the Special Sections/Niche Publications-Glossy category. “Wonderful dining guide; easy to look through to find the perfect place,” the judges wrote.

Pulse, an annual Express News Group special section, placed second for Best Real Estate/Home Section. “A very nice design with eye-catching pages that draw the reader in for a wealth of content,” the judges said.

O’Reilly took home second place for Spot News Coverage, and reporter Stephen J. Kotz placed third in the category. Kotz also earned an honorable mention for Coverage of Local Government.

Cartoonist Peter Waldner, whose cartoons run in common in The Express News Group newspapers as well the The Shelter Island Reporter, won second and third place for Editorial Cartoon.

Hinkle, freelance writer Jennifer Henn and The East Hampton Press won first place for Coverage of the Arts. “Beautiful layout and interesting stories!” the judges said.

In the Editorials category, The Sag Harbor Express placed second.

“All three entries take subjects — a change in air flight path, the pay of sports officials, recognition of the Montaukett Nation — that may not be familiar to the general populace and explain the larger effects they have,” the judges said.

Trauring won second place for Best Personality Profile.

“This account of a grueling cycling trip across Africa was a close second in this category,” the judges said. “Her writing skills came across in vivid descriptions and inventive turns of phrase. Very well done!”

In the Coverage of Health, Health Care & Science category, Kitty Merrill, Wright, Keegan, Trauring, Riley, Kotz and The Sag Harbor Express won third place.

Kyril Bromley won third place for Spot News Photos.

The third-place award for Sports Feature went to Keegan.

“This is well sourced and well written,” the judges said. “It’s chock-full of information, giving legions of examples of the young man’s successful career in a collective sense and also in terms of individual moments of success. … All of the commentary colorfully gives different perspectives involving the dynamic of his success, from the coaches’ breakdowns of his character and why he’s so successful, to his mother talking about how much the community’s support means to his family. It’s a very thorough and well-done profile piece, almost leaving you rooting for the underachiever to continue his success in the NFL.”

Keegan also picked up an honorable mention in the same category.

In the highly competitive News Story category, Keegan won third place. “This reporting pushed to the edge of available knowledge,” the judges said. “I’d like to read the next one. Very reader-oriented, with plenty of input. I’d like to read more as this plays out.”

Third place for Sports Coverage was awarded to Sports Editor Drew Budd and the Eastern Edition. “A really impressive mixture of outdoors events — why pickleball continues to grow, features on sailing — plus coverage of more traditional sports — a local prep basketball team making the state Final Four — and even youth league coverage gave this section an impressive balance,” the judges said.

The Express News Group earned the second-most total contest points of any group or chain of newspapers, with 415 points, just 25 points behind Schneps Media Group. The East Hampton Press scored 120 points overall, which was the fifth-highest total for a single newspaper, and 110 editorial points, for the fourth-highest editorial total.

In the advertising categories, The Sag Harbor Express won second place and the Eastern Edition won third for Best Large Space Ad. The Express also earned an honorable mention for Best House Ad.

The contest included 142 participating news outlets and 2,530 entries across 70 categories. Members of the Tennessee Press Association judged the contest.