Enterprise wins 14 state newspaper awards
The Holyoke Enterprise was honored with 14 awards at the Colorado Press Association Better News Media Contest awards ceremony Saturday, Sept. 17, at Coors Field in Denver. The event was part of the 144th annual convention of CPA members.
The awards celebrated the work of newspapers across the state from the end of 2020 through 2021. Entries were judged by members of the Michigan Press Association, and The Holyoke Enterprise competed in Class 5 with similar-sized newspapers.
First and second places were given for categories falling under editorial, advertising and photo/design divisions.
Editorial
Andrew Nygaard won first place for his agriculture story “More options for direct meat sales on horizon for Coloradans,” which ran in the May 12, 2021, Salute to Beef section. The judge said, “Informative package, information and photos. It gives solid, important information to producers and consumers alike.”
In the business news/feature story category, Darci Rodriguez took first with “Scholl family pumps love into multigenerational business” that ran in the Nov. 19, 2020, Workforce Salute. “Well written. Well presented. Interesting read,” said the judge.
Nygaard placed second in the same category for “City goats baaad news for weeds” from July 21, 2021. The judge said, “A fantastic, interesting story written in a way that gets you to the end quickly.”
The Enterprise also swept the health enterprise/health feature story category. Nygaard had the top story with “County sees COVID surge” from Nov. 19, 2020. “Strong package with sidebar graphics. ... It covers many of the questions challenging readers,” said the judge.
Second place went to Nygaard’s Nov. 24, 2021, story called “Loxley Ring’s journey with diabetes bring family closer together.” The judge commented, “Well done feature about Loxley Ring’s struggle and accommodation with diabetes. Thorough coverage of the challenges. The technical descriptions were precise and informative. Not always easy.”
Rodriguez placed first in the sports or sports event story with “A firsthand (foot) approach to Holyoke,” which was published Dec. 31, 2020. In commenting on the category as a whole, the judge said, “We have computer programs that write sports stories. More than ever, reporters need to make their copy pop in order to be considered an award winner. These two stories did exactly that.”
Also in the editorial division, Rodriguez earned second in the headline writing category for several samples of her work.
Advertising
First place was awarded to Ashley Sullivan, Brenda Brandt and Rodriguez in the classified page or section category. “Like the simple classification headers while keeping liner ads and display ads nice and cleanly organized. Consistency of linear style is a plus,” said the judge.
Rodriguez topped the entries in the print ad category with a full-page state track and field preview sponsored by local businesses June 23, 2021. “The ad is a wonderful tribute to the athletes as they are certainly the focus. Well laid out, clever design, and photos are consistently excellent and ‘action-packed.’ Well done. There were several great candidates for the top two positions, but the winners had the ‘it’ factor and grabbed my attention immediately,” said the judge.
The Holiday Hide & Seek contest from Dec. 3, 2020, by Brandt and Rodriguez claimed second place in the advertising campaign category.
Photo and Design
In the feature photo category, Nygaard won first place for his snapshot from the elementary school holiday food drive, which published Dec. 24, 2020. “Clear winner here,” said the judge. “Young ladies’ faces tell of their excitement to be involved in such good work.”
A photo from the school dodgeball tournament earned Rodriguez second place in the sports photograph category. It was from Nov. 24, 2021.
An infographic detailing the history of telephone numbers that accompanied a story about 10-digit dialing on Oct. 20, 2021, won first place in the informational graphic category for Rodriguez and Brandt.
In the cover design category, Rodriguez placed second for the Oct. 13, 2021, Hunting on the Plains section. “Strong art carries this cover,” said the judge.