The Flathead Beacon won 19 awards, including the top honor for advertising excellence, at the Montana Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were handed out Saturday night at the association’s annual banquet in Big Sky.
This was the first year the Beacon and the two other largest weeklies in the state, the Missoula Independent and the Valley Journal, competed in Division 4, which includes the largest daily newspapers in Montana.
Along with advertising excellence, Myers Reece won the Public Service Journalism Award for his coverage of investigations into Lake County law enforcement. Lido Vizzutti won a first-place award for best feature photo.
In the overall General Excellence category, the Beacon placed third, behind the Billings Gazette and the Missoulian. The Gazette also received the Sam Gilluly Sweepstakes Award as the best large newspaper in Montana.
The Silver State Post, Livingston Enterprise and the Ravalli Republic won sweepstakes awards for smaller circulation categories.
The following is a roundup of categories in which the Beacon placed:
FIRST PLACE AWARDS
General Advertising Excellence: Flathead Beacon
Public Service Journalism: Myers Reece
Best Feature Photo: Lido Vizzutti
SECOND PLACE AWARDS
Best Serious Column: Kellyn Brown
Best Lifestyle Reporting: Molly Priddy
Best Feature Photo: Lido Vizzutti
Best Color Ad: Steve Larson
Best Small Space Ad: Dwayne Harris
Best Web Project: Flathead Beacon
Best Single Web Ad: Flathead Beacon
Best Blog: Dillon Tabish
THIRD PLACE AWARDS
General Excellence: Flathead Beacon
Best Editorial Pages: Flathead Beacon
Best Education Reporting: Dillon Tabish
Best Environmental Reporting: Dillon Tabish
Best Lifestyle Reporting: Myers Reece
Mark Henckel Outdoors Reporting Award: Molly Priddy
HONORABLE MENTION
Best Agriculture Reporting: Molly Priddy
Best Website: Flathead Beacon