Star-Herald staff earn 10 awards in press contest
NORTHPORT — The Star-Herald staff won a total of 10 awards in the 2010 Maine Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. The presentations were made Oct. 17 during the state newspaper organization’s annual meeting and workshop at the Point Lookout conference center.
In the Supplement/Special Sections category, the Star-Herald took top honors for its County Crossroads magazine devoted to the 2010 Junior Olympics at the Nordic Heritage Center. Melissa Grima, editor of the Coos County Democrat in Lancaster, N.H., who judged the division, said “the publication is cohesive, includes strong advertising support and useful print copy in addition to fun extras like the autograph page. Topical tie-ins with local slant are well-used and layout is clean and easy to navigate.”
The County Crossroads supplement also won second place in the Self Promotion category for the Presque Isle newspaper.
Sports editor Joseph Cyr won a second-place award in the Sports Story category for his story on the Presque Isle Wildcats soccer team. Vince Sullivan, associate editor of the News of Delaware County in Holmes, Pa., judged the division and said Cyr’s story “’Cat boys play for another EM soccer title” contained “good action descriptions.”
In the Sponsorship Page category, the Star-Herald staff earned second-place honors for their annual National Honor Society section. Judge Ron Clauson, publisher of the Public Opinion of Chambersburg, Pa., called the entry “not your usual sponsorship page. Staff did a great job of putting the section together honoring a great group of students that businesses love to support.”
Reporter Scott Mitchell Johnson’s pictorial coverage of Presque Isle’s annual Balloon Festival earned third place in the Picture Story division for large weekly newspapers. Photographer Michael Gudreau’s photo of cross country skiers taken at the Nordic Heritage Center won a third-place award in the Feature Photo category.
Reporter Kathy McCarty received two third-place awards in writing. In the Environmental category, her story entitled “CEP tests county water quality” was cited for “nicely explaining an issue of great interest and import to resident. There is a lot of information here, but the writer doesn’t let it overwhelm the main points … and is easy to understand.”
Karen Harrigan, editor/publisher of The News and Sentinel in Colebrook, N.H, awarded McCarty third-place in the Business/Economics category for “Zumba program makes cardio fitness fun for all.” Her comments included “the reporter took what could have been a routine bit of coverage and turned it into a fun piece that made the reader want to get off the couch and Zumba.”
A story on a Presque Isle High School athlete entitled “Ackerson was ‘Cats defensive whiz” earned sports reporter Kevin Sjoberg a third-place award in the Sports Feature category. The judge wrote “This article does a great job highlighting a tough athlete who always strives to improve.”
The Star-Herald staff also won third prize in the News/Feature Headline division for their “Heroes toasted at breakfast” entry.
The Ellsworth American was selected as the best weekly newspaper in Maine while the Bangor Daily News won the best daily newspaper title.
