Journal collects 17 awards during 125th WNPA convention

Three members of the staff of The Ritzville Adams County Journal attended the 125th gathering of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association (WNPA) in Yakima Sept. 27-29. The event serves as an annual gathering for more than 100 community newspapers from around the state.

The convention provides reporters, editors, photographers, graphic designers and advertising sales people with an opportunity to attend focused trainings and seminars for the purpose of professional development.

The highlight of the event is the annual Better Newspaper Contest awards banquet held on Friday night. The contest honors newspapers and their staffs for excellence in writing, photography, special sections, website design and advertising design.

The contest is broken down into four categories based on the circulation of the newspaper. Group I is for papers with a circulation up to 2,750. Group II is for circulations of 2,751 to 5,000, Group III is 5,001 to 12,750 and Group IV is for newspapers with a circulation of 12,751 or higher.

During the awards program The Journal was presented with 17 awards. The newspaper fits into the Group I circulation category. The staff received four first place awards, four second place and nine third place awards in a variety of categories. Those awards and the judge’s comments appear below:

Best General Feature Story — Long: Katelin Davidson was presented with a first place award for her article about an author who published a book about a tragic train accident near Ritzville that took the life of her fiancé. The judge said, “Compassionate telling of a woman’s tragedy and recovery. Outstanding portrayal of human emotions and the struggle to keep moving forward. Well done.”

Best Business Story: Davidson earned second place for a profile article on the opening of a new antique store. The judge said, “Very well done. Inviting lead and nicely crafted story.

Best News Story — Long: Davidson collected third place for her article on the minimum wage increase. The judge said, “A good story on an important topic, looks at all sides of the issue of raising minimum wage. Also provides meaningful data, giving the reader perspective and better understanding of the local economy and the effects the higher minimum wage will have on it.”

Best General Feature Story — Long: Janis Rountree earned a third place award for the Hope for Hayden article. The judge said, “Takes the reader inside a family’s physical, emotional and financial struggles surrounding a medical hardship. The story gives you reason to hope and makes you want to ask how you can do your part to help them.”

Best Editorial: Stephen McFadden earned a third place award for an opinion piece entitled, “Hospital must remain viable, community healing should come to the forefront.” No judge’s comments were submitted.

Black and White Feature Photo: Community member Neva Malby received a third place award for her submitted photo of a Cub Scout activity. The scouts were participating in a pie toss. The judge said, “This unique take on the classic pie in the face shot manages to convey pleasure on the part of the perpetrator as well as the victim.”

Black and White Portrait or Pictorial Photo: McFadden earned a third place for a harvest photo entitled “After the Cutting,” which showed wheat stubble after harvest. The photo was judged among all four of the newspaper circulation categories. The judge said, “Even without the caption, this image is powerful and compelling.”

Black and White Photo Essay: McFadden earned a third place award for a photo essay of the 2011 wheat harvest. The photo was judged among all four of the newspaper circulation categories. The judge said, “I like the contract between the strength of nature and the power of machinery.”

Black and White or Color Spot News: McFadden received a second place award for 2011 wheat field fire. The judge said, “Good fire photos are always interesting, and the inclusion of the truck and firefighters gives the viewer a sense of the scope of the fire.”

Color Portrait: McFadden received a first place award for an image of a performer at Blues Fest. The judge said ,“The facial expression of the singer is compelling on its own…but in the reflection, we see what he sees. A great point of view.”

Multiple Advertiser Ad: Lavonne Saunders earned a third place award for the 2011 LaCrosse-Washtucna Homecoming Tribute. The judge said, “Bold headline, balanced photos, creative background and hard to ignore individual photos every local reader will check out.”

Best Use of Process Color, Half Page or Smaller: McFadden won first place for the 2011 Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce banquet advertisement. The judge said, “Festive, dramatic, pumpkinlicious!”

Best Use of Process Color, Half Page or Smaller: McFadden received third place for a Sa-Hair-A Salon advertisement. The judge said, “Clean look, cheerful and appealing.”

Best Use of Process Color, Half Page or Larger: McFadden won first place for a Ritzville Hardware Memorial Day Sale. The judge said “I really like this ad. It’s sophisticated and uses the proper amount of color.”

Best Use of Process Color, Half Page or Larger: McFadden won second place for a half page ad design for Ritzville Hardware’s Super Sale Weekend.

Best Use of Process Color, Full Page Ad: McFadden earned second place for his Adams County Fire Protection District No. 1 advertisement. The judge said, “This ad shows a lot of pride and appreciation for the fire department. Big headline, balanced photos convey message easily.”

Best Single Ad Promoting a Sale or Event, Larger Than Half Page: McFadden received a third place award for his 2011 Wheat Land Communities’ Fair Barn to be Wild design.

The judge said, “Simple and direct is often times more effective as shown in this ad. The overall framing of the ad was very eye-catching and the two pieces of art captured the event very well. Not over-done, just done well.”