Newspaper writers, editors, designers, and publishers won top awards today in the Tennessee Press Association’s 2013 newspaper contest, co-sponsored by UT.
The Tennessean (Nashville), The Jackson Sun, the Elizabethton Star, the Manchester Times, the Standard Banner (Jefferson City), and the Herald and Tribune (Jonesborough) won the top general excellence awards at the association’s awards luncheon held in Nashville.
General excellence honors are based on total points accumulated for awards in five categories, based on average weekly circulation.
This marks the fourth year in a row that The Jackson Sun has won the general excellence award. This also marks the third year in a row that The Tennessean has won in its category.
For the second year in a row, the results produced a tie. This year, the Manchester Times and the Standard Banner shared the general excellence award in their circulation category.
The Washington Newspaper Publishers Association judged a total of 1,485 entries from seventy-four of the association’s 121 member newspapers. UT has co-sponsored the annual contest since 1940.
Other highlights:
- The Tennessean received nine first-place honors in its circulation category, for best single feature, community lifestyles, best sports coverage, best graphics and/or illustrations, editorials, best personal column, best education reporting, best special issue, or section and best website.
- The Elizabethton Star received eight first-place awards for make-up and appearance, local features, community lifestyles, best sports coverage, best spot news coverage, best business coverage, best education reporting, and best website.
The university’s Edward J. Meeman Foundation honored newspapers for their accomplishments in editorial writing and public service journalism with $250 awards in the categories of editorials, best single editorial, and public service.
Newspapers receiving Meeman awards:
- The Tennessean, The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville), The Tullahoma News, the Hickman County Times (Centerville), and The Portland Leader, editorials
- The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), The Leaf-Chronicle, the Southern Standard (McMinnville), the Daily News (Memphis), and The Leader (Covington), best single editorial
- The Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Daily Times (Maryville), The Tullahoma News, the Standard Banner, and the Herald and Tribune, 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:
- The Chattanooga Times Free Press, for local features, best sports writing, best personal humor column, best business coverage, headline writing, and public service
- The Herald and Tribune, for best single feature, community lifestyles, best spot news coverage, investigative reporting, best business coverage, and public service
- The Commercial Appeal, for Sunday editions, best single editorial, best spot news coverage, investigative reporting, best news photograph, and best feature photograph
A complete list of winners is available here (pdf).
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C O N T A C T :
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)
Robyn Gentile (865-584-5761, rgentile@tnpress.com)