6549-Award-winning staff members of the St. Tammany News News-Banner and Slidell Sentry-News are, from left, Suzanne LeBreton, Mike Pervel and Sheila Allemand. (Staff Photo by Debbie Glover)

By Debbie Glover
St. Tammany News

Four first-place awards lead the list of 12 awards won by the St. Tammany News this weekend at the Louisiana Press Association convention.

The paper received the following first-place awards:
• Best editorial page;
• Best news story by Suzanne Le Breton titled “House Leveled” from March 11 about the tornadoes last March;
• Best sports story by Mike Pervel titled “Believe,” dated Feb. 27, about Northlake Christian School’s soccer state championship; and
• Best retailer ad by Sheila Allemand for an ad for St. Tammany Marine, dated July 24.

Second-place awards included best front page; best single editorial by Erik Sanzenbach; best headline by Chad Hebert; and best advertising idea or promotion, Sheila Allemand.

Le Breton also won third place in the best news story category for a story titled “Boater Recalls Night” published on March 16; Chris Kinkaid won third in the best sports story category for a story titled “Heavy Lifting,” and published July 24; and Sheila Alleman won a third place for staff generated color ad for Southside Café that ran April 22.

The staff also won a third place for Best News Coverage.

The paper competes in the Better Newspaper Competition division of newspapers published two to four times a week. There are 12 divisions of competition ranging from dailies of more than 50,000 in circulation, Division 1, to weekly free papers, Division 12. Only the first eight divisions are eligible for the Better Newspaper Competition awards and can be called the “Newspaper of the Year” in their division.

From left, L'Observateur Sports Editor Ryan Arena, General Manager/Managing Editor David Vitrano and Graphic Designer Rhett Triche show off the first-place awards the newspaper won at the Louisiana Press Association's annual convention.

By David Vitrano
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – L’Observateur took home eight first-place awards, including the coveted General Excellence award, at last weekend’s Louisiana Press Association annual convention at the Paragon Casino and Resort in Marksville, La.

Independent judges drawn from the Georgia Press Association evaluated entries in the competition. Competing against other newspapers across the state with similar circulations and frequencies,  L’Observateur was recognized as having the best overall content in the event.

L’Observateur’s editorial team also took top prizes for news coverage and photo package. Additionally, Sports Editor Ryan Arena took first place in the Sports Column category with a couple of columns dealing with the NFL.

The advertising department also fared well this year, taking first place in three categories: best staff-generated color ad, best non-retail services ad and best animated online ad.

Finally, L’Observateur took home a first-place plaque for its efforts in community service, specifically for its involvement with a holiday program it conducts with the St. John Parish Young Marines to provide gifts for residents of the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve.

Publisher Sandy Cunningham said she is very proud of the entire staff for all the awards, especially the award for General Excellence, which shows the strength of the newspaper as a whole.

At this year’s convention, the 132nd in the organization’s history, Cunningham relinquished the role of president, which she held for the past two years.

L’Observateur came away from the weekend with a total of 19 awards, including the eight first-place finishes.

Other awards included:

• Second place for Best Online Advertising – Single Ad, Animated
• Third place for Best Front Page
• Third place for Best Editorial Page
• Second place for Best Overall Sports Coverage
• Third place for Best Lifestyle Coverage
• Third place for Best Headline
• Third place for Best Sports Photo
• Third place for Best Special Section
• Second place for Multiple Advertiser Page and
• Third place and Honorable Mention for Advertising Idea or Promotion.

Williston Herald Publisher Mitzi Moe poses with the Sweepstakes award that the Herald won at the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s annual conference at the Airport International Inn on Friday. ELIJAH NOUVELAGE | WILLISTON HERAL

By Jacob Brooks
Williston Herald

The Williston Herald picked up the top two awards in its division, and dozens of newspaper professionals from around the state descended on Williston this weekend for the 126th Annual Convention of the North Dakota Newspaper Association held at the Airport International Inn.

The Herald won both the 2011 Sweepstakes and General Excellence awards in the small daily newspaper category, nudging out second-place finisher Jamestown Sun.

Herald Publisher Mitzi Moe smiled broadly as she accepted the awards and posed for photos with Herald staff members following the presentation. It was the first time since 2006 that the Herald had won both top awards.

The Dickinson Press finished third and The Daily News in Wahpeton received honorable mention. In the large daily category, Grand Forks Herald won General Excellence, while The Forum of Fargo won the Sweepstakes.

The General Excellence award is based on a consensus of out-of-state judges, who poured over thousands of entries from North Dakota newspapers, including weeklies with less than 1,000 circulation to the biggest paper in the state, The Forum out of Fargo.

The Sweepstakes award is based on combined points of individual awards in editorial and advertising categories.

Three Williston Herald staff members combined to win five individual advertising categories: Marcy Huber won best apparel ad; Wanda Olaf placed first in outdoors/sports ad and financial ad; and Carla Huravitch placed first in single ad and small space ad. The Herald advertising staff also placed in several other categories, which attributed to the point total for the Sweepstakes award.

In the editorial categories, the Herald’s newsroom staffers won eight categories: Levin T. Black won in both the reporting series and business news reporting categories; Katie Pizza placed first in feature reporting; Nick Smith won feature reporting series; and Lynne Napton and Jacob Brooks teamed up to win the spot news category.

The Herald newsroom also won for best editorial page, best website and best headline, “Skin it to win it,” which appeared on a story about a tattoo contest.

Several other Herald stories and photos placed or received honorable mention.

The convention, held in Williston for the first time since 2002, was a three-day event and wrapped up Saturday.

Besides award ceremonies for the top newspaper content of 2011, the event included seminars, a bus tour of oil country and an annual meeting of the NDNA Board, which elected new annual officers. Kathleen Leinen, of the News-Monitor in Hankinson, became the new NDNA president, replacing Williston’s own Wanda Olaf, who had been in the position for the past year.