For the third 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 Lewistown.
The Beacon took home 39 awards and 17 first-place plaques, including the Division III Weeklies/Division I Dailies Sweepstakes Award and Thomas Dimsdale Sweepstakes Award, which recognizes the best newspaper in every division except large dailies and is based on total points accumulated for placing in the various categories of the contest. The Beacon was also honored for General Excellence, in which one judge noted, “this is clearly the best newspaper, not only in this category, but also in the state.”
Notable individual honors went to Dan Testa, who won the Public Service Journalism Award for his coverage of Nazi sympathizers in the area, and Myers Reece, who won the Mark Henckel Award for his outdoor reporting. The advertising staff at the Beacon also won a number of awards, including second place for General Advertising Excellence.
The Billings Gazette received the Sam Gilluly Sweepstakes Award recognizing the top daily newspaper in Montana.
The following is a roundup of categories in which the Beacon placed:
FIRST PLACE AWARDS
Thomas Dimsdale Sweepstakes Award: Flathead Beacon
Sweepstakes Award (Weeklies Division III/Dailies Division I): Flathead Beacon
General Excellence
Best Front Page
Best Editorial Page
Best Sports Page
Best Outdoors Page
Public Service Journalism: Dan Testa
Mark Henckel Outdoors Award (Best Outdoors Reporting): Myers Reece
Best Feature Story, General: Myers Reece
Best Business and Economic Reporting: Myers Reece
Best Environmental/Natural Resources Reporting: Dan Testa
Best Graphic: Stephen Templeton
Best Cartoon: Stephen Templeton Flathead Beacon
Best Nature Photo: Lido Vizzutti
Best Color Ad: Steve Larson and Bob Hunt
Best Advertising Series: Steve Larson and Kelly Siblerud
SECOND PLACE AWARDS
General Advertising Excellence
Special Projects: “Escape”
Best Web Project
Best Local Column: Kellyn Brown
Best Business and Economic Reporting: Dan Testa
Best Government Reporting: Dan Testa
Best Health, Fitness, Medicine, Science Reporting: Dan Testa
Best Feature Photo: Lido Vizzutti
Best Sports Photo: Lido Vizzutti
Best Color Ad: Steve Larson and Bob Hunt
Best Single House Ad: Steve Larson and Bob Hunt
Best Advertising Headline: Steve Larson and Kelly Siblerud
THIRD PLACE AWARDS
Best Headline Writing: Kellyn Brown
Best Feature Story, Personality: Dan Testa
Best Justice System Reporting: Molly Priddy
Best Sports Story: Myers Reece
Best Graphic: Stephen Templeton
Best Photo Essay: Lido Vizzutti
Best Small Space Ad: Steve Larson and Bob Hunt
General Writing Excellence: Myers Reece
HONORABLE MENTION
Best Sports Column: Mick Holien
General Writing Excellence: Dan Testa