Enterprise claims 4 national awards

The Holyoke Enterprise is excited to announce it won four awards in the National Newspaper Association’s 2020 Better Newspaper Contest.

An article on two sisters competing in roller derby by Darci Rodriguez won first place in the sports feature story or series category. “The most creative and in-depth story of the competition,” said the judge.

Also earning first place was Jes-c French’s informational graphic on the impact of blood donors. “Details the statistical effectiveness of the community blood drive AND donor reflections. Graphics support story details without distraction,” the judge commented.

Rodriguez’s article on a longtime sheep shearer claimed second place in the profile feature story category. The judge said, “Really enjoyed this piece. Excellent use of imagery, storytelling and word play to paint a vivid picture of a man and his life. Great work.”

Third place was awarded to Rodriguez’s precipitation recap in the informational graphic competition. “Measuring community’s rainfall with a drop of humor and specific details. It supports the story’s focus!” said the judge.

NNA had 1,276 entries in the Better Newspaper Editorial Contest and 193 entries in the Better Newspaper Advertising Contest. A total of 523 awards were won by 92 member newspapers in 34 states.

Judging was performed primarily by active community newspaper editors and publishers, as well as retired university journalism professors and retired or former newspaper professionals.

Winners were recognized at an Oct. 3 awards ceremony during the NNA’s 134th virtual convention and trade show. The event was originally set for Jacksonville, Florida, but was moved to an online platform due to COVID-19.