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Beacon Wins Top Honor, General Excellence Award at Montana Newspaper Contest

By Beacon Staff

For the second year in a row, the Flathead Beacon won top honors among the state’s large weekly and small daily newspapers in the Montana Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were handed out Saturday night at the association’s annual banquet in Bozeman. The Beacon took home 29 total and 11 first-place awards, including the Division III Weeklies/Division I Dailies Sweepstakes, which recognizes the best newspaper in the division and is based on total points accumulated for placing in the various categories of the contest.

The Beacon received awards for best front page along with best business, agriculture and educational reporting. It was also honored for general excellence.

The Beacon won in the second-largest division. In Division II Dailies, the largest division, the Billings Gazette received the Sam Gilluly Sweepstakes Award as the best daily newspaper in Montana. The Dillon Tribune won among Division II Weeklies and the Bigfork Eagle took top honors in Division I Weeklies.

The following is a roundup of categories in which the Beacon placed:

FIRST PLACE AWARDS

Best Front Page: Flathead Beacon

Best News Graphic: Stephen Templeton

Best Business, Economy, Technology Reporting: Dan Testa

Best Agricultural Reporting: Molly Priddy

Best Educational Reporting: Keriann Lynch

Best Outdoors Section or Page: Flathead Beacon

Best Feature Picture: Lido Vizzutti, Flathead Beacon

Best Editorial Cartoon: Stephen Templeton

Best Online News Product: Flathead Beacon

General Excellence: Flathead Beacon

Sweepstakes Award (Weeklies Division III/Dailies Division I): Flathead Beacon

SECOND PLACE AWARDS

Special Section: Winter Guide

Niche Publication: Beacon Business Monthly

Best Headline Writing: Flathead Beacon

Best Business, Economy, Technology Reporting: Myers Reece

Best In-Depth Investigative Reporting: Myers Reece

Best Sports Picture: Lido Vizzutti

Best Outdoors, Nature Photo: Lido Vizzutti

Community Service: Flathead Beacon

THIRD PLACE AWARDS

Best Column Writing: Kellyn Brown

Best Justice System Reporting: Flathead Beacon

Best In-Depth Investigative Reporting: Dan Testa

Best Agriculture Reporting: Keriann Lynch

Best Educational Reporting: Myers Reece

Best Lifestyle Page: Flathead Beacon

HONORABLE MENTION

Best Sports Page: Flathead Beacon

Best Sports Event Coverage: Elizabeth Harrison

Best Advertising Series: Flathead Beacon

Best Innovative Online Idea: Lido Vizzutti