LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Log Cabin Democrat of Conway and Saline Courier of Benton won the newspaper sweepstakes awards in the 2013 Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors contest.
The awards and others were announced Saturday at the group’s annual meeting. The contest was judged by AP-member editors in Oklahoma.
The winners of the sweepstakes awards in each of the contest’s three divisons were determined by how many awards each newspaper won across the contest’s 28 categories. A points system is used that gives more weight to winning the General Excellence category as well as for each first place award.
The Arkansas AP also gave its annual Mark Twain Award for Cooperation to Arkansas Business of Little Rock.
SMALLER DAILY NEWSPAPERS
SWEEPSTAKES AWARD_Saline Courier.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE_1, Saline Courier; 2, Blytheville Courier News; 3, Forrest City Times-Herald.
SPOT NEWS PHOTO_1, Stephanie Dunn, Camden News, Car ablaze; 2, Fred Conley, Forrest City Times-Herald, How’d this happen?; 3, Stephanie Dunn, Camden News, Back to school.
FEATURE PHOTO_1, Stephanie Dunn, Camden News, Fright night; 2, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, A Foggy Start to Thursday; 3, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, Training.
SPOT SPORTS PHOTO_1, Aaron FitzPatrick, Blytheville Courier News, GCT spoils homecoming; 2, Rick Nation, Saline Courier, Hornets dealing with injuries; 3, Aaron FitzPatrick, Blytheville Courier News, The agony of defeat.
FEATURE SPORTS_1, Fred Conley, Forrest City Times-Herald, Swing away; 2, Jay Manning, Saline Courier, Senior Jessica Hardig attempts a bunt; 3, Josh Briggs, Saline Courier, Bryant takes 7th BP title.
PHOTOGRAPHER’S PORTFOLIO_1, Brent Davis, Saline Courier; 2, Wil Chandler, Saline Courier; 3, Brent Davis, Saline Courier.
SPOT NEWS STORY_1, Alan Smith, Forrest City Times-Herald, Millbrooks fails to return to court for sentencing; 2, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, Chase ends in shootout; 3, Jennifer Sheridan, Camden News, Truck strikes moving train this morning.
NEWS FEATURE_1, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, Home(less) for the holidays: A local man’s story; 2, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, His name was Ron; 3, Lynda Hollenbeck, Saline Courier, Uganda mission changes family.
COLUMN-HARD NEWS_1, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News; Blythville, The sunsets will wear purple too; 2, Andy Weld, Blytheville Courier News, Students deserve choices in education; 3, Mark Brasfield, Blytheville Courier News, Dirt, lake project will go down as failure.
COLUMN-LIFESTYLE-HUMAN INTEREST_1, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, The greasy, sneaky spiral of loathing and shame; 2, Andy Weld, Blytheville Courier News, Interesting dolls on the market this year; 3, David Hughes, Saline Courier, Follow us to the Big 4 Drive-in.
NON-TRADITIONAL NEWS ITEM_1, Staff, Blytheville Courier News, Top 10 local stories of 2012; 2, Staff, Blytheville Courier News, Thankful; 3, Staff, Saline Courier, Local elementary students share advice on how to cook a ’trke’
EDITORIAL WRITING_1, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, Watching ’blanding’ is about sizzle, not steak; 2, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, Timing is Everything,; 3, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, Boy swallows seed, watermelon sprouts in belly.
SPORTS STORY_1, Fred Conley, Forrest City Times-Herald, Fastest Girl In The State; 2, Josh Briggs, Saline Courier, Lady Panthers gearing up for season without Drew Melton; 3, Tony Lenahan, Saline Courier, That Just Happened.
SPORTS FEATURE_1, Josh Briggs, Saline Courier, Daring to Dream; 2, Kelly Blair, Camden News, CN names All-Area girls team; 3, Tony Lenahan, Saline Courier, Former Cardinals time short, but sweet.
SPORTS COLUMN_1, Aaron FitzPatrick, Blytheville Courier News, It’s time for Cinderella to take her ball and go home; 2, Tony Lenahan, Saline Courier, Catchers, managers and Gold Gloves; 3, Josh Briggs, Saline Courier, Overcoming Adversity.
HEADLINE_1, Josh Briggs, Saline Courier, Home(less) for the holidays: A local man’s story; 2, Tony Lenahan, Saline Courier, Defense works on stripping; 3, Tamara Johnson, Forrest City Times-Herald, FCPD: Turn volume down on loud music.
PAGE DESIGN_1, Andy Weld, Blytheville Courier News; 2, Tamara Johnson, Forrest City Times-Herald; 3, Josh Briggs, Saline Courier, A Christmas Story.
NEWS COVERAGE_1, Brent Davis, Lynda Hollenbeck, Wil Chandler, Saline Courier, Storms Wreak Havoc; 2, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, Williams murder/Sowell arrest; 3, Alan Smith, Forrest City Times-Herald, Dec. 3, school board coverage.
SPECIAL PROJECT- COMMUNITY SERVICE_1, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, One-cent sales tax special election; 2, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, ’Mom-a-thoners’ balance work, family, running; 3, Fred Conley, Forrest City Times-Herald, 2013 Preview Football; Tackling The Season Head-On.
GRAPHICS_1, Mark Brasfield, Blytheville Courier News, 2012: Year of the coaching carousel; 2, Saline Courier Staff, Saline Courier, Rinceco taking in Exxon oil spill waste; 3, Saline Courier Staff, Saline Courier, Prescription drug take-back.
HEALTH-RELATED TOPICS_1, Lynda Hollenbeck, Saline Courier, Welcome Home; 2, Lynda Hollenbeck, Saline Courier, Doctor: ’Kali will survive’; 3, Chris Pinkard, Blytheville Courier News, Blytheville High students, staff embrace New Tech.
BEAT REPORTING_1, Lynda Hollenbeck, Saline Courier, Sheriff Arrested. PD: Sheriff took swing at officer; 2, Sarah Derouen, Saline Courier, Bryant Police Chief and officer charge visit to strip club on city credit card; 3, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, Murder suspect freed from lockup due to technicality.
EDUCATION REPORTING_1, Lynda Hollenbeck, Saline Courier, School board violates FOI; 2, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, Scholarship lottery helps hundreds attend college; 3, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald.
BUSINESS REPORTING_1, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, Sanyo building sold to Olymbec USA for $2.25 million; 2, Alan Smith, Forrest City Times-Herald, Airtherm celebrates 50 years in Forrest City; 3,Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, Bryant: Promoting city begins with residents.
POLITICAL REPORTING_1, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, Election law prevents candidates from placing name on ballot twice; 2, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, All-electronic polling sites save SFC Election Commission over $1,500; 3, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, Voters approve taxes for improvements.
DIGITAL_1, Blytheville Courier News; 2, Saline Courier, Benton; No Third Place Awarded
DIGITAL STORYTELLING_1, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, Operation Healthy Delta; No Second or Third Place Awarded.
SERVICE TO FOI_1, Brent Davis, Saline Courier, Oil spill debris brought into county for disposal; 2, Kendall Owens, Forrest City Times-Herald, DRAA emails violate FOIA; meeting called; 3, Alan Smith, Forrest City Times-Herald, Troubles mounting for water commission.
MID-SIZED NEWSPAPERS
SWEEPSTAKES AWARD_Log Cabin Democrat.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE_1, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway; 2, Harrison Daily Times; 3, Batesville Daily Guard.
SPOT NEWS PHOTO_1, Courtney Spradlin, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, ’Oiled’ ducks emerging after spill; 2, Kris Caraway, Batesville Daily Guard, Log truck driver; 3, Michael Orrell, El Dorado News-Times, Apprehended.
FEATURE PHOTO_1, Matt Baker, Batesville Daily Guard, Taking the plunge; 2, Kevin Pieper, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Polar Plunge benefits Special Olympics; 3, Michael Orrell, El Dorado News-Times, Rocking the stage.
SPOT SPORTS PHOTO_1, Michael Orrell, El Dorado News-Times, High hurdled; 2, Travis Simpson, The Courier-Russellville, Grappling for State; 3, Neal Denton, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, GF Tigers topple Panthers, 44-14.
FEATURE SPORTS_1, Kevin Pieper, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, CP photo for Developing kids’ bodies & brains; 2, Kevin Pieper, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, 2013: A year in photos; 3, Sandra Stroud, Batesville Daily Guard, Victory! Pioneer Peter Roulier jumps into arms.
PHOTOGRAPHER’S PORTFOLIO_1, Kevin Pieper, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home; 2, Tony McGuffey, Batesville Daily Guard; 3, Eric White, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway.
SPOT NEWS STORY_1, Angelia Roberts, Batesville Daily Guard, Good Samaritans in short supply at accident scene; 2, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Nightmare has happy ending; 3, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Midway man spotted in Mo.
NEWS FEATURE_1, Angelia Roberts, Batesville Daily Guard, Six weeks later…still no Sidney; 2, Joan Hershberger, El Dorado News-Times, The ’sole’ of a cobbler; 3, Kevin Sims, El Dorado News-Times, El Dorado group attends inauguration of Obama.
COLUMN-HARD NEWS_1, Jim Patterson, El Dorado News-Times, Being offended is a choice; 2, Jim Patterson, El Dorado News-Times, ’No more hurting people. Peace’; 3, Jim Patterson, El Dorado News-Times, Effort to enact stricter gun control laws in country may be in trouble.
COLUMN-LIFESTYLE- HUMAN INTEREST_1, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, That doll is the devil, not child’s play; 2, Sonny Garrett, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Forget about being big-boned; I’m fluffy; 3, Angelia Roberts, Batesville Daily Guard, Buster: It was a good ride.
NON-TRADITIONAL NEWS ITEM_1, Guard Staff, Batesville Daily Guard, Faces & Places II; 2, Angela Spencer, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Is Lake Conway Safe?; 3, Staff, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, O Conway Tree.
EDITORIAL WRITING_1, Chris Qualls, El Dorado News-Times, No shame for the shameless; 2, Ricky Duke, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Pegasus: We demand more answers; 3, Sonny Garrett, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Marriage equality cases are about rights, not morality.
SPORTS STORY_1, David McCollum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Hendrix’s happy return; 2, David McCollum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, 2,000 points; 3, David McCollum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Warriors fall after wild finale.
SPORTS FEATURE_1, David McCollum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, From stopwatch and pistol to wireless; 2, David McCollum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Magnificent in seven events; 3, Sonny Elliott, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, A Special Year.
SPORTS COLUMN_1, David McCollum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Golf is the conduit to enriched relationships; 2, Travis Simpson, The Courier-Russellville, The calm before the championship; 3, Kev Moye, El Dorado News-Times, Dolphins’ chaos sheds light on sensitive subject.
HEADLINE_1, Stewart Cole, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Unfortunate 500; 2, David Holsted, Harrison Daily Times, Protesters wait for pigs to fly; 3, Staff, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Ice, Ice Maybe.
PAGE DESIGN_1, Staff, Batesville Daily Guard; 2, Adam Lampe, Brandon Cone, Josh Phillips, Harrison Daily Times; 3, Stewart Cole, Adam Sweeney, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway.
NEWS COVERAGE_1, Josh Dooley, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Winter Storm’s Fury; 2, Staff, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Oil spill impact adds up; 3, Lacy Mitchell, Angelia Roberts, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Boston Marathon bombing.
SPECIAL PROJECT- COMMUNITY SERVICE_1, Staff, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Is Lake Conway Safe?; 2, Frank Wallis, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Food Banks scramble to fight hunger; 3, Guard Staff, Batesville Daily Guard, Know your neighbor.
GRAPHICS_1, Chris Willis, Batesville Daily Guard, 2012 Looking Back; 2, Stewart Cole, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Headache on the highway; 3, Stewart Cole, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Is Lake Conway Safe?
HEALTH-RELATED TOPICS_1, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, The HEART of last resort; 2, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Brothers take part in disabled hunt; 3, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, BRMC sets new course.
BEAT REPORTING_1, Angela Spencer, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Education Beat; 2, Donetta Hubbard, Batesville Daily Guard, Sold into slavery; 3, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Animal cruelty charges to be dropped in case.
EDUCATION REPORTING_1, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Wanted: New school; 2, Lacy Mitchell, Batesville Daily Guard, A slave to the streets - ’Natural State’ no stranger to trafficking; 3, David Holsted, Harrison Daily Times, Teachers, students try to cope.
BUSINESS REPORTING_1, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Boat builder roars back from downturn; 2, Kris Caraway, Batesville Daily Guard, ’American table’ finds new home; 3, Megan Reynolds, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Unfortunate 500.
POLITICAL REPORTING_1, Lee Hogan, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Smith to spend one month behind bars; 2, Angela Spencer, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Voter ID bill awaits action; 3, Andrea Bruner, Donetta Hubbard, Batesville Daily Guard, You’ve got to have skin in the game.
DIGITAL_1, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home; 2, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway; 3, Batesville Daily Guard.
DIGITAL STORYTELLING_1, Matt Baker, Batesville Daily Guard, Behind the Cover: Batesville graduates 2013; 2, Staff, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Independent testing shows cove needs to be watched; 3, Staff, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Toad Suck Daze.
SERVICE TO FOI_1, Lee Hogan, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Probe: Policies weren’t followed; 2, Lacy Mitchell, Batesville Daily Guard, Police investigate misuse of school funds; No Third Place Awarded.
LARGE NEWSPAPERS
SWEEPSTAKES AWARD_Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE_1, Texarkana Gazette; 2, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 3, The Jonesboro Sun.
SPOT NEWS PHOTO_1, Rick McFarland, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock Police subdue depressed man; 2, George Jared, The Jonesboro Sun, Stepfather found; girl missing; 3, Richard Rasmussen, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Car Fire.
FEATURE PHOTO_1, Evan Lewis, Texarkana Gazette, Veterans mark anniversary of Tet Offensive; 2, Benjamin Krain, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Clearing rice field; 3, Melissa Gerrits, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Long celebration.
SPOT SPORTS PHOTO_1, Benjamin Krain, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Chuckwagon dust-up; 2, Mara Kuhn, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Eyes on the Ball; 3, Stephen Thornton, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, El Dorado celebrates 4th 6A title in 5 years.
FEATURE SPORTS_1, Melissa Gerrits, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, A little more Love; 2, Benjamin Krain, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, SEC Gymnastics Championship; 3, Mara Kuhn, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Championship Moment.
PHOTOGRAPHER’S PORTFOLIO_1, Benjamin Krain, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 2, Stephen Thornton, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 3, Rick McFarland, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock.
SPOT NEWS STORY_1, Sarah D. Wire, Noel Oman, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, FBI arrests Shoffner; hearing set; 2, Spencer Willems, Chad Day, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fatal shooting by LR police 3rd this year; 3, Claudia Lauer, Chelsea Boozer, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2 recount ordeal in Texas barrens.
NEWS FEATURE_1, Cathy Frye, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Shots killed mother, dreams of lifetime; 2, Cheree Franco, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Run and Howl; 3, Ashley Gardner, Texarkana Gazette, Taking Steps Towards Healing.
COLUMN-HARD NEWS_1, Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Thanks but no thanks; 2, Les Minor, Texarkana Gazette, It’s going to be hard to replace Boldt; 3, Chris Wessel, The Jonesboro Sun, Former senator simply reaping what he sowed.
COLUMN-LIFESTYLE- HUMAN INTEREST_1, Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Interview with the Creature; 2, Melinda Gassaway, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, A few comments from A to Z; 3, Chris Wessel, The Jonesboro Sun, Son’s visit helps soothe anguish of long absences.
NON-TRADITIONAL NEWS ITEM_1, Ron Wolfe, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Believe it or Ho-Ho; 2, Dusty Higgins, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Know your gators?; 3, Dusty Higgins, Tracy M. Rogers, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Springing into action.
EDITORIAL WRITING_1, Melinda Gassaway, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Don’t let anyone else decide your city’s future; 2, Russell McDermott, Texarkana Gazette, Unjust Legislation; 3, Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The secret review.
SPORTS STORY_1, Robert Yates, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, ’It’s really sad’; 2, Troy Schulte, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Saluting a 1970s guy; 3, Ben Cowens, The Jonesboro Sun, Era ends with last game in Weiner.
SPORTS FEATURE_1, Aaron Brand, Texarkana Gazette, Across five decades and two continents; 2, Matthew V. Roberson, The Jonesboro Sun, A family matter for ASU’s Coleman; 3, Louie Avery, Texarkana Gazette, Wacha’s rookie season one to remember.
SPORTS COLUMN_1, Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, A whole different ball game; 2, Wally Hall, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, No one ever did it any better; 3, Wally Hall, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, UA shouldn’t be in competition with media.
HEADLINE_1, Brenda Brown, Texarkana Gazette, Fear No Weevil; 2, Paul Sawyer, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Disney’s Oz drops Baum on Warners; 3, Jason Hopkins, Texarkana Gazette, Astro-Nots.
PAGE DESIGN_1, Jason Hopkins, Danielle Dupree, Andrea Miller, Texarkana Gazette; 2, Tena Chen, Sean Clancy, Jeremy Muck, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sunshine Sweet; 3, Tom Ritchey, Seth Willis, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs.
NEWS COVERAGE_1, Dave Hughes, Kenneth Heard, Bill Bowden, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Storms wallop state, killing 3; 2, George Jared, The Jonesboro Sun, Body found ID’d as missing girl; 3, Steven Mross, Mark Gregory, Richard Rasmussen, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Suspect captured following manhunt.
SPECIAL PROJECT- COMMUNITY SERVICE_1, Spencer Willems, Chad Day, Cathy Frye, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, ADG Broke Parole; 2, Claudia Lauer, Chelsea Boozer, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, ADG Trailer Life; 3, Ashley Gardner, Texarkana Gazette, Donations Dilemma.
GRAPHICS_1, Dusty Higgins, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 2, Kirk Montgomery, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 3, Danielle Dupree, Texarkana Gazette.
HEALTH-RELATED TOPICS_1, Christi Crawford, The Jonesboro Sun, Single mom tussles with website; 2, Don Thomason, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Capella ends acquisition efforts; 3, George Jared, The Jonesboro Sun, Waiting to exhale.
BEAT REPORTING_1, George Jared, The Jonesboro Sun, Still Missing; 2, Becky Bell, Texarkana Gazette; 3, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Abortion Bans.
EDUCATION REPORTING_1, Cathy Frye, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Schools take lesson: Need to arm staffs; 2, Cynthia Howell, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3 school districts, state align; 3, Evie Blad, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Board reverses, OKs school-staff gunmen.
BUSINESS REPORTING_1, Lisa Hammersly, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Manufacturing buying interest; 2, Claudia Lauer and Jessica Seaman, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Main Street’s rebirth; 3, Becky Bell, Texarkana Gazette, Critics point to land purchase as unorthodox.
POLITICAL REPORTING_1, Michael R. Wickline, Sarah D. Wire, Chad Day, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Shoffner resigns under fire; 2, Waylon Harris, The Jonesboro Sun, Commission fines Bookout $8,000; 3, Chelsea Boozer, Sarah D. Wire, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, State tap still open on local projects
DIGITAL_1, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 2, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs; 3, The Jonesboro Sun.
DIGITAL STORYTELLING_1, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas treasurer resigns amid extortion charges; 2, Gavin Lesnick, Online Staff, Photo Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 2013 Storm coverage; 3, Rachel Hood, Katie Doherty, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Mayflower Oil Spill,
SERVICE TO FOI_1, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Transparency Denied; 2, Claudia Lauer, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, House of Cards; 3, Waylon Harris, The Jonesboro Sun, Senator: I’ll comply with probe.
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