Texas Press Association

Texas Press Association

Division 2 Dailies 7,000 or Less
Division 3 Semiweeklies 4,001 or More
Division 4 Semiweeklies 4,000 or Less 

Division 1 Dailies 7,001 or more

1. Austin American-Statesman. A solid newspaper. Great content, good design and heads. Nice work.

2. Galveston County Daily News. Wonderful reproduction. This paper has great design. A lot of clutter, but ‘organized and fun to look at. Content is also very interesting. I enjoyed this entry.

3. Midland Reporter-Telegram. A good, solid job. This is a fun paper to read. inside specialty pages — arts, homes, etc. — are fun to read. Nice job.

4. Kerrville Daily Times. Very well designed page 1. Nice use of photos and good graphic pull-outs. This is a very progressive-looking paper.

Advertising

1. Plainview Daily Herald. Excellent use of process and spot color. Christmas ads and FYI section look great. The FYI looks very professionally done. Very polished work. It’s quite a compliment to the overall look of your newspaper.

2. Midland Reporter-Telegram. Very nice section fronts. Nice color ads in the Oil Show report. Excellent use of photos in the ads and on the section fronts. Makes your overall paper attractive and full or substance.

3. Odessa American. It’s nice to see spot and process color in your ads. Nice use of photos. Makes paper look nice throughout. The ads really compliment the layout of the news.

4. Baytown Sun. Nice forecast 96 section. The section envelopes really good-looking ads. Like to see more of this creativity throughout the paper.

Best Individual Photo

1. Paris News, Christopher Smith. Grieving people: Wonderful expression of grief shown in the photo! Excellent moment in time telling readers how people felt; Photo seems a bit soft and obviously shot direct flash. Great photo!

2. Odessa American, Mark Sterkel. Kids’ rodeo: Great expression on kid just about to hit the ground. Excellent! The only recommendation I have would be to have cropped tight around kid and steer for higher impact. The background is just distracting and the photo doesn’t need his hat flying.

3. New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, Michael Darnall. Bikini contest: Nice, different angle! Nice combination of silhouettes and facial expressions to tell the story.

4. Kerrville Daily Times, Ken Schmidt. Juneteenth celebration: Wonderful expression ol woman’s face and body language. Reproduction takes away a bit from the image, but the impact is still the same! Maybe tighter crop would help.

Best Use of Photos

1. Odessa American. Very nice color reproduction.

2. Midland Reporter-Telegram. Nice color photos on section fronts.

3. Brownwood Bulletin. Nice “One Day” section. Photos tell the story.

4. Rosenberg, Herald-Coaster. Good composition of photos throughout the paper. Nice action shots. Keep up the good work.

Column Writing

1. Galveston County Daily News, Dolph Tillotson. Moody vs. Fertitta: Thoughtful column. Iusually like my conclusions or.stands near the top, but I think this was a good exception. Appreciate Dad: Wow! I can feel .the pain that you don’t say is there. But you did a great job of writing between the lines. Powerful!

2. Rosenberg, Herald-Coaster, Sharon Walling-ord. Wave of the Future: The future is the. past. We’re moving too fast. A pleasant read! Wel. written. Roles Reversed: This is great! Sensitive, poignant. a lovely read. You have an elegant style.

3. Austin American-Statesman, Ann Hornaday. Nation Betrayed: You write-well and you obviously do your homework. My only complaint is that I want your recommendation sooner than you are willing to give it to me. It was probably obvious, but not all readers finish what they start. Coen Brothers’ Comedy: About the same reaction as before, except that I need to say again, you write well.

4. Brazosport Facts, Clute, Leslie Burleson. Job Seekers: This is a hilariously good read. It is well written and is meaningful to everyone who has ever conducted- an interview or been interviewed. Bo knows: This column, too, was well written, but I was never exactly sure where it was going and I don’t think it worked nearly as well as the first column.

Editorials

2. Galveston County Daily News. Housing: It’s difficult judging editorial projects against more traditional editorials. But this one is extremely well done. I get to see conclusion summarized in second graph. Writing is crisp, concise, nothing wasted. Good Representatives: Except for “we suggest” this is mostly a rehash of what probably already had been reported. Still, it’s well written and organized and is certainly interesting reading.

3. New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Public Rights: I liked this editorial a lot and enjoyed the blank box device. You made your point immediately and then reinforced it. End the Debacle: Usually I don’t like editorials to be quite this long, but subject is terribly important. I would have liked your point about control and power to appear higher, but I’m sure you achieved high readership. I would have eliminated first graph and started with second.

4. Rosenberg, Herald Coaster. County Settlement: An editorial should be understandable even to the totally uninformed. It is difficult to follow because the editorial assumes that I know more about the subject than I do. Telling the Truth: You should get right to the point in the lead. Zolkowski apparently didn’t do his job, or if he did he is covering up. The length of your editorials is perfect, but they need to be better organized with crisp leads, reinforcement then a strong conclusion.

Feature Story

1. Austin American-Statesman Janet Wilson. Hardy Perennial: Good read. Very interesting. Description and details excellent. Julie Bonnin, Death in Driveway: Perfect lead-in. Good read.

2. Galveston County Daily News, Mark Holan. Tuned Out: Good lead. Heidi Lutz, The Crossroads: Super subject.

3. Odessa American, Cathy Frye. Alzheimer’s: Heartwarming. Dana Bartholomew, Answered Prayers: Excellent subject. Good read. Really found this to be an excellent read.

4. Plainview Daily Herald. Teresa Cox. Valiant Flight: Interesting story. Drive-by shooting: Very interetes story. Puts the reader there at the shooting.

News Writing

1. Austin American-Statesman. Very comprehensive coverage that shows enterprise. Good writing and very compelling leads;

2. Galveston County Daily News. Very comprehensive. I was especially impressed with the quality of the writing and great leads.

3. Midland Reporter-Telegram. Good, comprehensive package. I especially like the local and state page, Writing could be tightened some.

4. Odessa American. Good leads. Nice local and state pages. Generally covers a wide spectrum of issues and appears comprehensive.

Sports Coverage

1. Austin American-Statesman. Great entries! Your coverage of first Big 12 title game was excellent. I was impressed with depth of other coverage in that issue, considering the effort you put into the Texas—Nebraska game. No question. Best entry by far. They probably need to give you your own division. Great entries. I enjoyed reading them.

2. Odessa American. Excellent job at covering everything. Great feature on the Simpson girl. Very good column on 5/5. Nice basketball stories in 11/ 10 issue. Maybe use larger headlines like on 10-year itch. Good job of photos and cropping. Very strong effort. I enjoyed reading your local copy, but good use of AP and good design.

3. Galveston County Daily News. Great coverage of the state football championship. The photos were good enough to do the special section even if the team lost. I would have cropped the other results box on B1 on 12/22. Nice use of color. This was a very strong entry, but a pretty tough division. I would say your 12/22 issue was worth much more than the $1.50 you charge.

4. Midland Reporter-Telegram. A tale of two entries. Really good on 3/17, really average 5/12. Sports Briefly is too much color on the page. I like the bog photo on 3/17. that is what 5/12 needed was bigger photos. Consider moving Sports Briefly on the inside, or at least tone down the color. This was a very tough division at the top. The 3/17 issue was a little weak. A better selection there might have placed you a little higher.

General Excellence

1. McKinney Courier-Gazette. The McKinney paper has a lot going to it: interesting content, nice layout, good use of inside space. Good effort.

2. Pecos Enterprise. This is a newsy paper. Writing is solid. Content is timely. Photos break up gray. Nice job.

3. Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Nice entry. Design could be cleaner, but for the most part, looks good. Writing is well done.

4. Seguin Gazette-Enterprise. Stories need to be shortened, especially on page 1. Inside work, like Cinco de Mayo, was nice.

Advertising

1. Stephenville Empire-Tribune. The treasures of Stephenville. Fun and excellent! Wow! What a lot of work went into this issue. Excellent ads, copy, photos, ad photos. Hopefully your local chamber and Realtors hand this out all year long to those moving in or inquiring about the area.

2. McKinney Courier-Gazette. An excellent publication about your town for “new” people and “old” people to enjoy reading. Do your Chamber and Realtors hand them out all year long to people who move in or inquire about the area? If not, they should. Nice job.

3. Seguin Gazette-Enterprise. Super idea to get businesses to buy. space and include a child’s Christ­mas photo. Great fun copy to read (Christmas lists) and to top it off, great Christmas greetings included, too!

4. Snyder Daily News. What a tremendous section honoring Western Texas College. . Super ads, great copy, a keepsake for all!

Best Individual Photo

1. Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, Steve Boehm. Great shot. You captured the atmosphere and action. I’d like to have seen this in color.

2. Hereford Brand. Good reaction/action shot! You captured the moment. Photographer is a good shooter.. Why no credit lines on photos?

3. Alice Echo-News, Pete Garcia. Great action hard news shot. Did you get that shot of the truck that burned?

4. Pampa News, Darlene Holmes. Midwinter sunset: Great color. I’d have used it bigger and higher on the page.

Best Use of Photos

1. Seguin Gazette-Enterprise. News tie in, sports and particular picture pages elevated entries in this division.

2. Taylor Daily Press. Well presented, but weaker inside. Presentation helped. Very close and subjec­tive with those entries at 3rd and 4th, et. al.

3. Snyder Daily News. Among best news-related photos. Road woes excellent. Very close. Could have just as easily been 2nd.

4. McKinney Courier-Gazette. Good tie in with news. Inside weaker. Color helps, but doesn’t al­ways make a good pic. Very close. Just as ‘easily could have been 2nd.

Column Writing

1. Stephenville Empire-Tribune, Lee Leschper. Thanks, Mom: Thanks for the sentimental look back at childhood and tough lessons that now make more sense. Time for New America’s Team: A moving tribute and slap on the wrist at. America’s Team. I especially like your admonishment of Jerry Jones for his fast-and-loose style.

2. Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, Steve Boehm. Hazards of Being a Shepherd: I’m afraid I was able to fill in the blanks. Great descriptive writing! New Bachelor: Self-deprecation at its best. I hear Brad Pitt is really worried!

3. McKinney Courier-Gazette Randy Fears. Moms come in all shapes: Thanks for the memories I’m sure your mom (Sis) and other mothers were grateful. Spirit of Christmas: We do look the other way too often, so your column puts into words the guilt we all feel for our abundance..

4. Stephenville Empire-Tribune, Jeff Osborne. Cost of fighting: Great personalized tribute to veter­ans. Agony and ecstacy: Good contrast of the promise of the Olympic spirt and the tragedy that can so quickly change so many lives forever.

Editorials

1. Vernon Daily Record. Skipping Elections: Not hard-hitting, but apparently has strong local interest. Yet it’s also a sad commentary on the public interest in providing voters a choice at election time. Tax Rate Dilemma: Talk about a man-bites-dog edito­rial. It’s unusual, but refreshing, to see along-term approach proposed insteadof the usual don’t-raise-our-taxes piece. Good job!

2. Stephenvilile Empire-Tribune. Let’s Find Answers: Good editorial, It has high local significance and proposes a solution rather than simply complaining. It asks questions and seeks answers. Good job! Be Safe in New Year: Rather weak compared to first entry, but you do tie in TSU student’s death and point out the many dangers to alcohol. Also, it’s probably too long for the subject matter.

3. Henderson Daily News. Christmas Shopping:

OK and appropriate for newspaper to promote, but not contest material. This is one of those obligatory editorials we all run. State Road Contractors: Only minimal local significance. Henderson isn’t even mentioned. Try to localize every editorial and why issue is important to your readers.

4. Taylor Daily Press. Spiders or People: Good subject. Obviously many communities have to struggle with similar issues. It might have been helpful to propose a compromise rather than all or nothing. Getting in volved: OK subject, but not exactly exciting. Surely Taylor has some issues with more appeal. It’s a nice tribute to volunteers, but not contest material.

McKinney Courier-Gazette. Donation of Life: Nice holiday editorial. Great sponsorship for the newspaper. Rowlett Tragedy: The contract of the Smith and Routier deaths is appropriate, but this is such an easy target, since the police say she did it so there are few people left to persuade.

Feature Story

1. idea. Fun to read. Nice ending. Sherri Martin, Witkowski: Good subject matter. Good flow.

2. McKinney Courier-Gazette, Daun Eierdam. Gift of Life: Good subject. Olin Ashley, Lights, Camera, Action: I like the description, though the long lead was almost too long.

3. Vernon Daily Record, Joyce Ann Ashley. Love Language: Interesting subject. Late Bloomer Artist: Enjoyable read.

4. Stephenville Empire-Tribune, Christi Mays. Santa Claus: Interesting lead. Willis Sees: Nice fea­ture, good writing style.

News Writing

1. Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Very comprehensive news coverage. Well written and timely sto­ries. Great job. Definitely a winner here.

2. Seguin Gazette-Enterprise. Very complete coverage and writing is well done.

3. Pecos Enterprise. The Pecos paper has good, comprehensive coverage. Writing looks good, too.

4. Henderson Daily News. Complete coverage and good writing.

Sports Coverage

1. Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Great photos, layout and design. Excellent special section. Range of coverage was a little weak, but rest of entry was strong. Nice job.

2. Alice Echo-News. Some of best writing and leads in the division. Pretty good coverage for space available. Move the point after inside to give you more room for really good packaging.

3. McKinney Courier-Gazette. Wish the 1-column action, photo on 12/29 was bigger. Drop the Column 1 letter from the sports editor inside. Good column on Friday football. A nice touch. Overall a pretty good entry.

4. Hereford Brand. Great photos on volleyball title, but the layout design hurt overall effect. 5/5 issue was very weak and hurt the overall entry. Nice photos.

Division 3 Semiweeklies 4,001 or more

GENERAL EXCELLENCE

1. Round Rock Leader. Strong showing in all categories brought you to the top. Good job.

2. Williamson County Sun. Broad coverage of news presented in good layouts.

3. Moore County News-Press. Well-rounded newspaper scored high in all areas of competition.

4. Hood County News. Good newspaper scored you close to the top in all categories.

ADVERTISING

1. Hood County News. Great paper. Obviously you have a very aggressive ad department and talented group of designers. I would suggest making the type stand out a little more.

2. Marble Falls Highlander. Wonderful paper. I wanted to read every ad and I did with ease. Focus on your typography a little more and you’ll be there.

3. (tie) Wise County Messenger. Your halftones in ads are wonderful. I would suggest being more creative with your type.

3. (tie) Round Rock Leader. Very creative. I would suggest changing and mixing up your typography a bit.

4. Houston County Courier. Very nice. I would suggest better halftones and better typography. There’s a book on the market for halftones called “Photoshop Black & White.” If you don’t have it, I would suggest investing in it.

COLUMN WRITING

1. Uvalde Leader-News, Bill Cockerill. Good, descriptive phrases. Colorful. I could picture Joe Harry. You must have quite a following.

2. Round Rock Leader, Brad Stutzman. April 24: Great descriptive phrases. “The week the madness came and kicked in our door” and more.

3. Marble Falls Highlander, Billy Berkenbile. Well done.

4. Round Rock Leader, Sharon Gollop. May 4: Every woman’s refrigerator in town must have had your column in it that week.

EDITORIAL

1. Moore County News-Press, Todd Hepler. Good attention, commanding lead, well-reasoned and convincing.

2. Cedar Creek Pilot. Heavy material. Bold stance. I thought it was good.

3. Cedar Creek Pilot, Chip Souza. Good ending to a necessary editorial. Very relevant to community.

4. Wise County Messenger, Julie Porter. Good argument, backed well.

FEATURE STORY

1.Williamson County Sun, Holly Arceneau. Excellent photo package. Concise, easy reading.

2. Cedar Creek Pilot, Chip Souza. Excellent lead. Great writing.

3. Marble Falls Highlander. Lead rambled a bit, but great job.

4. Hood County News, Shirley Petroshus. Excellent lead. It would have been powerful to see a photo of the dad climbing or loaded with the pack, etc.

NEWS WRITING

1. Polk County Enterprise. Special high marks on leads because your writers manage interesting openings not only on big stories such as the fire and the murder, but even on less dramatic topics such as FEMA buy-outs or juvenile curfews.

2. Williamson County Sun. Good job of taking non-local stories such as the OKC bombing or Earth Day and giving a local angle. “A” for thoroughness and effort on your disaster stories. Are all your weeks like this? But I would have preferred tighter writing. With stories this big, keep sentences simple and depend on the drama of the event to keep the reader interested.

3. Round Rock Leader. Good leads. Compliments especially to Brad Stutzman. Coverage got lower marks because the news judgment threw me. You had a dramatic helicopter crash, but your lead at the top of the page was an increase in property values?

4. Moore County News-Press. Good, simple, direct leads catch the reader’s interest while summing up the story well.

SPORTS COVERAGE

1. Williamson County Sun. Excellent sec ion, well-rounded, great art.

2. Marble Falls Highlander. (No comment.)

3. Wise County Messenger. Great art, layout is excellent, nice section.

4. Graham Leader. Good layout and writing.

BEST INDIVIDUAL PHOTO

1. Lamesa Press Reporter, Russel Skiles. This is a great photo, the best in this category. Captures reader interest, tells the story and then makes the reader want to know. The suspects have their hands up in the car and that is good on photographer’s part.

2. Williamson County Sun. Jeff Thompson. Excellent photo, almost won. Expression and emotion are focused. No problem knowing what this is all about. Keep up the good work.

3. Polk County Enterprise, Gordon LaBarron. Great expressions on baby’s and mom’s faces. Catches lots of emotion. Anxiety runs high. Baby is not sure what’s happened.

4. Hood County News, Roger Enlow. Offering comfort has good reader impact, shows good facial expression. Ranks fourth in this competitive category.

BEST USE OF PHOTOS

1. Hood County News. Great job. Good use of excellent photos.

2. Round Rock Leader. Hats off to Terry Hagerty.

3. Burleson Star. Good job.

4. Graham Leader. Fishing layout was great.

GENERAL EXCELLENCE

1. Rockwall Texas Success. A weekly that gets immediacy on the front page: Excellent job at giving timely news. Good briefs package on -page 1. Dominant design elements. Attractive. Consistency throughout. Newsy. Good packaging. Lots of jumps. Good opinion page and reader input.

2. Clear Lake Citizen. Lots of impact on page 1. Two strong local stories. Any way to give the fire story .a more current spin? Does the spot color detract from four-color photos? Attractive typography. Good progress edition.

3. Canyon News. Good job with tornado coverage. How could you give it a timelier spin? Re-evaluate use of spot color. Different body type sizes is disconcerting.

4. Angleton Times. Neat design on page 1. Nov. 11 issue needs stronger art. Sept. 16 issue needs strong art displayed better. Great bug package: photo, inset box, headline, story. Sophisticated look. Gray screens are too dark. Page 1 color screen allows easy reading. Inside flags are not attractive.

ADVERTISING

1. Clear Lake Citizen. Simply excellent examples of good advertising in the five areas being judged. Would assume readers truly look forward to getting The Citizen. It’s top flight. Certainly No. 1 in its division.

2. Canyon News. Discover Canyon insert particularly well done. Creative use of photos enhances ads. Nice presentation. Deserving of a strong second: place finish in its division.

3. Andrews County News. Welcome Home Exes issue well done. Good use of second color. Photos, too, were above average. Did very well overall. No doubt it has earned a commendable third.

4. Childress Index. A solid entry. Did well, basically in all five elements. Ranked fourth in a very competitive division. Well done, indeed.

COLUMN WRITING

1. Childress Index, Morris Higley. (No comment.)

2. Childress Index, Morris Higley. Nice column. Good to see the fund drive through the eyes of Chris. Made it very interesting.

3. Childress Index, Clemi Higley Blackburn. Great lead, nice analogy. Catchy.

4. (tie) Liberty Vindicator, Homer Smith. (No comment.)

4. (tie) Angleton Times, Doreen Howard. Good info about rosemary and ants.

EDITORIAL

1. Clear Lake Citizen. My primary question is: Was Nutting acting in a disruptive manner or just addressing the board? Very good editorial about a topic that happens everywhere: public officials who act irresponsibly and can’t tolerate an opposing view.

2. Angleton Times, Tammy Crow. Clearly one of the best single editorials submitted in this category.

3. Rockwall Texas Success, Happens all too often. Definitely not just a “Texas state of mind.”

4. Liberty Vindicator. Ditto, Oct. 4. All too often, people send in those obnoxious cards without even taking into consideration the newspaper they’re going to.

FEATURE STORY

1. Angleton Times, Rachelle Kanak. Good lead. Your headline type tells the reader right off, here’s something a little special for you today. Story does a good job of explaining the problem and the family’s struggle. Good last graph.

2. Lampasas Dispatch Record, Sherree Casper-Willard. Try using extended hyphens instead of two dashes. What an interview. The guy rubbed shoulders with some of the best-known Americans of my lifetime. Lead could have been much stronger. Good use of quotes. Very strong entry.

3. Bowie News, Barbara Beckwith. Nice layout, good photos on pointer story. Solid writing. You give me one good sentence after another in an organized fashion.

4. Rockwall Texas Success, Judy Thurmond. Good headline. Lead gets me into the story from child’s point of view. I like that. Good quote: “They did more than murder than man.” Nice job.

NEWS WRITING

1. Rockwall Texas Success. Looks as if your city council needs to put up some “keep off the grass” signs. Above average writing on interesting topics. Housing chief interview shows how important quotes are. Without quotes, the story would have snored. Zimmerman lead, May 19, page 11, too long.

2. Clear Lake Citizen. April 19 issue has very good front page. “Engarde” is on target. Barely nudged Out of first place. Note: former astronaut Gordon Cooper is from Pottawatomie County, Okla.

3. Quanah Tribune-Chief. Tough issues being faced in March 16 issue. Good interview with Brown.

4. Angleton Times. Good “Iron Butt” piece. I hate the headline font, but didn’t count off for it. Deer meat lead too-long. Interesting prisoner piece. Technically good writing, but nothing awesome to push it over the top.

SPORTS COVERAGE

1. Rockwall Texas Success. Excellent writing, overall good coverage on a variety of sports.

2. Angleton Times. (No comment.)

3. Rockwall Chronicle. Good special section on volleyball.

4. Andrews County News. (No comment.)

BEST INDMDUAL PHOTO

1. Angleton Times Tommy Crow. Great feature photo, well planned, super impact with story. Nice job.

2. Liberty Vindicator, Wanda Faulkner. Nice candid picture of what is usually an average assignment. Lots of kids’ faces and good expressions. Nice color reproduction.

3. Perryton Herald. Fun feature photos. Caught the action just write.

4. Clear Lake Citizen. Love the big photos on page 1. Nice angle, good cropping. Nice photo. Good play by editor helped impact.

BEST USE OF PHOTOS

1. Canyon News. May 11: Take that blue off your front page. It’s too strange. Good coverage of the damage. Variety of photo size is good. Page 8 stretch photo should have been three columns wide. Remember, cutlines should be present tense. Use AP style.

2. Quanah Tribune-Chief. You do a good job of covering local events. Keep up the efforts. The boy kissing the baby should have been enlarged. Don’t be afraid to be proud of your photos.

3. Perryton Herald. April 9: Front-page photos same size. Even if it’s a poor photo or the only photo you have, be proud of it. The two guards should have been three columns wide. Nov. 19: Big, bold, good. Section B was a bit on the too-cute side, but I’m sure they loved it. Even though the story was on page 2 you needed at least a side cutline explaining what was going on. No prominent photo and layout lacked.

4. Lampasas Dispatch Record. April 27: Your strongest photo was on page 5. You need to get someone, everyone out there taking pictures. Your front page is in desperate need of art. Then, July 13 is full of great photos, so you must have, wasted talents. On all pages there’s one picture that stands out as being the one that should have been your lead photo. Page 1, the boy fishing, and next, the boy and dog. Start your design from the main photo and make creative layout. Don’t just use same-size photos. Brag on that talent. You don’t have to use all the photos.