For the second year in a row, and the third time in four years, the Flathead Beacon won top honors among the state’s weekly newspapers in the Montana Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were handed out Saturday night at the association’s annual banquet in Butte.
In all, the Beacon took home 31 awards and 11 first-place plaques, including General Excellence, Best Website and the Thomas Dimsdale Sweepstakes Award, which recognizes the best newspaper in every division except dailies and is based on total points accumulated for placing in the various categories of the contest. The Beacon also won the Thomas Dimsdale award in 2013 and 2011.
Molly Priddy won the Mark Henckel Outdoors Award for her feature on outdoor rehabilitation centers in the area in “Natural Recovery.” Dillon Tabish won Best Sports Story for his reporting on Flathead High School graduate and current Denver Bronco Brock Osweiler in “The Land of Oz.” For his story “The New Face of Homelessness,” Tristan Scott won a first-place award for Lifestyle Coverage. Kellyn Brown was honored for column writing. And Lido Vizzutti and Greg Lindstrom both won top honors in photography categories.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle 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 Award
General Excellence
Best Website
Best Sports Story – Dillon Tabish “The Land of Oz”
Best Lifestyle Coverage – Tristan Scott “The New Face of Homelessness”
The Mark Henckel Outdoors Award – Molly Priddy “Natural Recovery”
Best Column Writing – Kellyn Brown “No Comment”
Best Headline Writing – Tristan Scott
Best Sports Photo – Lido Vizzutti
Best Feature Photo – Greg Lindstrom
Best Lifestyle Photo – Lido Vizzutti
SECOND PLACE AWARDS
Best Feature Story – Myers Reece “Daines Forges His Own Path”
The Mark Henckel Outdoors Award – Dillon Tabish “Glacier Park’s Great Uncertainty”
Best Enterprise Journalism – Justin Franz “Abuse of Power”
Best Headline Writing – Kellyn Brown
Best Layout and Design – Steve Larson
Best News Photo – Dillon Tabish
Best Sports Photo – Greg Lindstrom
Best Feature Photo – Greg Lindstrom
Best Lifestyle Photo – Lido Vizzutti
Best Combination Print and Online Ad – Dane Williams and Jon Scharfencamp
Best Niche Publication – Staff “Flathead Living”
THIRD PLACE AWARDS
Best Sports Story – Dillon Tabish “Braving the Water”
Best Lifestyle Coverage – Tristan Scott “Economy of Ecology”
The Mark Henckel Outdoors Award – Dillon Tabish “Mountain Man”
Best Enterprise Journalism – Myers Reece “Glencore Has Been Playing Us.”
Best News Photo – Greg Lindstrom
Best Lifestyle Photo – Lido Vizzutti
Best Ad to Sell or Promote Merchandise – Dane Williams, Dwayne Harris and Cathy Coletti
Best Image Building Ad – Dane Williams
Best Newspaper Special Section – Staff “Northwest Montana Fair