Daily News, News Monitor honored by NDNA
Managing Editor Carrie McDermott, Advertising Manager Diana Hermes, Publisher Tara Klostreich and Sports Editor Robert Wanek Jr. Daily News brought home 52 awards in news, photography and advertising categories this year at the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. Winners were announced Friday, May 6 in Bismarck at the NDNA annual convention. The awards are for work done in 2021.Daily News, in addition to earning first place for overall design excellence and third place for general excellence, also brought home the Sweepstakes Award for its circulation division, earning 3,825 points for 19 first place awards, 14 second place awards, 16 third place awards and six honorable mentions between news, photography and advertising."What an honor for the Daily News and News Monitor to receive so many awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association," Publisher Tara Klostreich said. "I am proud of my staff to be listed as the sweepstakes winner in each newspaper's category. This past year brought many changes and challenges to both publications, yet we proved with dedication and commitment, both publications are the best of the best. I would like to give a special congratulations to our Rookie Reporter of the Year, Robert Wanek Jr.""We are thrilled to earn awards in numerous categories and it speaks to the hard work, talent and dedication of our staff throughout the year," Managing Editor Carrie McDermott said. "In addition to the excitement of the awards presentations, the annual newspaper conference is a chance to learn from our colleagues across North Dakota. We share ideas and opportunities to increase readership and suggest ways to collaborate with each other while continuing to provide immediate and accurate coverage to our communities. I'm especially proud of our Sports Editor, Robert Wanek Jr., for being recognized with a special award. His dedication and passion for sports is exemplary, showing in the coverage he does, both in print and digital, and we are thankful he's part of our team."A staff highlight was Daily News Sports Editor Robert Wanek Jr. earning the Rookie of the Year Award. The judge’s comments were shared at the conference: “There’s nothing boring or boilerplate about Robert’s writing – he draws you in and keeps you there. This writer has a great future ahead of him, and readers are lucky to have such a talent.”"Thank you to Tara, Carrie, Diana and our CEO, Francis Wick, for bringing my vision to print, encouraging me to succeed and allowing me to create. You don't have to be at ESPN or the New York Post to enjoy covering sports. Legacy lies in what you do, not where you do it. And I love being in this community."
Daily News news and photography awards are:
• In the reporting category, Audra Anderson took first place.• Anderson took second place and Frank Stanko took third for feature reporting.• Anderson took first place for government reporting and honorable mention for government series.• Stanko took second place for spot news.• Anderson took second for business news reporting.• Wanek earned three first place awards – sports page, sports reporting and sports column. He took second place for sports feature and third place for sports series.• Stanko took third place for editorial and McDermott took honorable mention. Daily News staff took second for editorial page.• Anderson took third place for agriculture coverage.• Stanko took first place for personal column-serious and McDermott took second. Stanko also took first place for personal column-humorous.• In the special news section category, Candace Engstrom, McDermott, Stanko, Justin Pierce, Tris Anderson and Audra Anderson took first place for Profile magazine. Engstrom and staff also took second place for Southern Valley Living magazine.• Audra Anderson took second place for section/feature front design and Engstrom took honorable mention.• Daily News staff took first place for front page design.• Audra Anderson took third place for spot news photo. Stanko took second place for feature photo. Wanek took third place for sports photo.• Stanko took first place for picture story, and Anderson took second place for pictorial photo.• Stanko earned first place for portrait photo and Audra Anderson took third.• Audra Anderson took first place for ag photo and Stanko took third.• Stanko took third place for outdoor recreation photo and Audra Anderson took honorable mention.
Daily News advertising awards are:
• Ashleigh Hubrig took second place for entertainment/liquor ad and third place for food ad. She also took second place for outdoors/sports ad. Hubrig took third place for use of color.• Diana Hermes took first place for financial ad, third place for apparel ad and honorable mention for ad series.She also took honorable mention for small space ad.• Hermes took first place for promo of newspaper - advertising.• Engstrom took first place for promo of newspaper - readership and Hermes took second place in the category.• Engstrom took second place for promo of community and Hermes took third place.• Hermes, Hubrig and Erica Geisen took first place for special ad section for Southern Valley Living and Hermes took third place in the category for Salute to Hometown Heroes.• Engstrom and Wanek took third place for signature page.
News Monitor news and photo awards are:
• First place for agriculture series with stories by Frank Stanko, Audra Anderson, Tris Anderson and Justin Pierce.• Another multi-part series on infrastructure earned first place with reporting by Robert Wanek Jr., Stanko, Tris Anderson and Audra Anderson.• Tris Anderson earned a second place win for spot news, a second place win for sports photo, a third place win for ag coverage, third place for news photo, and third place for spot news photo.• Wanek earned a second place for ag photo and honorable mention in the portrait photo category.• News Monitor staff earned third place for editorial page.• Candace Engstrom won third place for section/feature front design.
News Monitor advertising awards:
• Diana Hermes won second place in food ad and Ashleigh Hubrig won third place in the category.• Hermes took second for entertainment/liquor ad and Hubrig took third.• Hermes took third place for vehicle ad and second place for apparel ad.• Hermes took second place for home/gardening ad and third place for outdoors/sports ad.• Hubrig took honorable mention for ad series and Hermes took second place in the category.• Hermes took first place and Hubrig took second for small space ad.• Hermes earned third place for financial ad and third place for health care ad.• Hermes took third place for political ad.• In the agricultural ad category, Hermes took second place and Hubrig took third.• Hermes earned second place in use of color category.• Hermes took third in promo of newspaper category, and third for promo of newspaper – readership.• Hermes took third place for promo of community.• Engstrom and Abby Weight took third place for special ad section.• Engstrom and Carrie McDermott took second place for sig page.