NASHVILLE—Newspaper publishers, editors, journalists, and designers won top awards in the Tennessee Press Association’s 2011 newspaper contest, co-sponsored by the University of Tennessee.
The Tennessean (Nashville), the Jackson Sun, Southern Standard (McMinnville), the Standard Banner (Jefferson City), and the Erwin Record won the top general excellence awards at the association’s awards luncheon held today in Nashville.
UT has co-sponsored the annual contest since 1940.
General excellence honors are based on total points accumulated for awards in each of five categories, based on average weekly circulation, and include small and large daily and non-daily papers.
This marks the ninth year in a row that the Erwin Record has won the top general excellence award for its circulation category. This also marks the third year in a row that the Standard Banner has won the top prize for its circulation category, and the third time in four years that Southern Standard has won in its circulation category.
The Georgia Press Association judged a total of 1,487 entries from seventy-six of the association’s 125 member newspapers.
Other highlights:
•The Tennessean and Southern Standard each received nine first-place honors in their circulation categories. The Tennessean won for community lifestyles, sports writing, best single editorial, best personal humor column, best spot news coverage, best news reporting, best education reporting, investigative reporting, and public service. Southern Standard won for local features, best single feature, editorials, best single editorial, best personal column, best spot news coverage, best news reporting, best education reporting, and best news photograph.
•The Erwin Record won eight first-place awards for community lifestyles, best single editorial, best personal humor column, best education reporting, public service, best news photograph, best sports photograph, and best website.
•The Jackson Sun won seven first-place awards for local features, sports writing, best spot news coverage, best education reporting, investigative reporting, public service, and best feature photograph.
As part of the ceremony, the university’s Edward J. Meeman Foundation honored newspapers for their accomplishments in editorial writing and public service journalism with $300 awards in the categories of best single editorial, editorials, and public service.
Newspapers receiving Meeman awards:
•The Tennessean, the Daily Herald (Columbia), Southern Standard, Grainger Today (Bean Station), and the Erwin Record, best single editorial;
•Kingsport Times-News, the Daily Herald, Southern Standard, Grainger Today, and the Bartlett Express, editorials; and
•The Tennessean, the Jackson Sun, the Lebanon Democrat, Hickman County Times (Centerville), and the Erwin Record, public service.
The foundation was established in 1968 at UT to fund the contests, provide professional critiques of journalists’ work, and support journalism students and faculty.
Additional top winners in the overall contest include:
•Chattanooga Times Free Press, for make-up and appearance, local features, best single feature, headline writing, and best website;
•Gallatin News Examiner, for sports writing, best news reporting, headline writing, best news photograph, and best special issue or section;
•Shelbyville Times-Gazette, for make-up and appearance, community lifestyles, sports writing, headline writing, and best sports photograph; and
•The Daily Herald, for editorials, best single editorial, best personal column, best personal humor column, and best special issue or section.
Other first-place award winners:
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), Sunday editions, best news photograph, best sports photograph, and best special issue or section;
Grainger Today, editorials, best single editorial, and best education reporting;
News Sentinel (Knoxville), best graphics and/or illustrations, best personal column, and best feature photograph;
The Daily News (Memphis), best graphics and/or illustrations, best feature photograph, and best website;
The Lebanon Democrat, public service, best feature photograph, best special issue or section;
The Standard Banner, local features, best spot news coverage, and best sports photograph;
Herald and Tribune (Jonesborough), local features and promotion of newspapers;
Johnson City Press, best news reporting and promotion of newspapers;
Mt. Juliet News, best single feature and investigative reporting;
The Bartlett Express, sports writing and editorials;
The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville), community lifestyles and best website;
The Portland Leader, best personal column and best feature photograph;
The Rogersville Review, best single feature and community lifestyles;
Bristol Herald Courier, make-up and appearance;
Carroll County News-Leader (Huntingdon), best spot news coverage;
Citizen Tribune (Morristown), headline writing;
Cleveland Daily Banner, best single feature;
Hickman County Times, public service;
Kingsport Times-News, editorials;
Manchester Times, best personal column;
Memphis Business Journal, best personal humor column;
Pulaski Citizen, make-up and appearance;
Roane County News (Kingston), investigative reporting;
The Daily Post-Athenian (Athens), best personal humor column;
The Greeneville Sun, best sports photograph;
The Humboldt Chronicle, headline writing;
The LaFollette Press, investigative reporting;
The Milan Mirror-Exchange, best special issue or section;
The Millington Star, best news reporting;
The Mountain Press (Sevierville), best news photograph;
The Paris Post-Intelligencer, best website; and
The Tomahawk (Mountain City), make-up and appearance.
A complete list of winners is available here.
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C O N T A C T :
Charles Primm, UT Knoxville Media Relations, (865) 974-5180, primmc@utk.edu
Robyn Gentile, Tennessee Press Association, (865) 584-5761, rgentile@tnpress.com