SEQUIM — The Sequim Gazette took home second place in General Excellence along with 25 individual or staff awards in the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2019 Better Newspaper Contest.
Reporter Matthew Nash, editor Michael Dashiell and former Gazette reporter Erin Hawkins, along with special sections editor Laura Foster and designers Kathleen Golding and Drew Herman — all three of whom work at the Gazette’s sister paper Peninsula Daily News were among those honored as professionals recognized for top industry work at Washington non-daily and small daily newspapers at the association’s 132nd convention, held in Olympia from Oct. 10-12.
Nash was awarded second place for Feature Writer of the Year. “I am proud of our team at the Sequim Gazette,” said Publisher Terry Ward. “These are exceptional results that reflect our team’s hard work and commitment to steadfast community journalism.”
The Gazette and other Sound Publishing newspapers earned more than 150 contest awards.
Jessie Stensland of the Whidbey News-Times took home first place for News Writer of the Year while Patricia Guthrie of the South Whidbey Record earned first place for Feature Writer of the Year. Mark Krulish of the North Kitsap Herald won third place for Sportswriter of the Year.
The Gazette is in Group 2 among WNPA’s four circulation groups. The category is for newspapers with circulations of 2,501 to 5,000. The group includes the Nisqually Valley News, Anacortes America, Cheney Free Press, Chinook Observer, Sunnyside Sun, Chewelah Independent and the Skamania County Pioneer among others. The contest considered writing, design, photography, advertising and web content from newspapers statewide between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019, and special sections between April 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019.
The North Carolina Press Association judged this year’s WNPA contest, with 1,133 news pieces, 328 photos, 232 advertisements, 114 special sections and 34 web submissions from 58 participating newspapers.
See a full list of winners here: issuu.com/wnpafiles/docs/2019_wnpa_awards_tab_final.
Sequim Gazette Better Newspaper Contest winners:
Writing
• Hawkins
— Third place, Social Issue Story (“Recovery finds a home,” Nov. 14, 2018).
• Nash
— First place, Story on the Arts (“From the Blue Hole to his Holiness,” Jan. 16, 2019).
— Second place, Feature Writer of the Year (all divisions).
• Dashiell
— First place, Sports News Story (“Wolves are off to the races,” May 23, 2018).
— Second place, Sports News Story (“A comeback for the ages,” Feb. 27, 2019).
— Third place, Sports Feature Story (“50 for the food bank,” Sept. 26, 2018).
Photography
• Nash
— First place, Color Portrait (“Princesses at the wheel,” April 25, 2018).
— Second place, Color Feature (“A lavender-inspired selfie,” July 25, 2018).
— Third place, B/W Feature-Portrait-Pictorial (“Feeding time,” Sept. 12, 2018).
• Dashiell
— First place, Color Feature (“Ready, set, graduate,” June 13, 2018) .
— First place, B/W Feature-Portrait-Pictorial, B/W (“Silly human tricks,” Oct. 3, 2018).
— First place, Breaking News (“Firefighter a feline’s best friend,” Feb. 12, 2019).
— Second place, B/W Sports Photo (“Storm King wins,” Aug. 8, 2018).
— Third place, Color Sports Feature (“Three cheers for the Wolves,” Dec. 12, 2018) .
— Third place, Color Essay (“The year in pictures,” Jan. 2, 2019).
Design, web, editing
• Golding, Herman
— Second place, Front Page Design (Oct. 31, 2018).
• Dashiell
— First place, Sports Page Design (April 4, 2018).
— Third place, Sports Page Design (“The year in Sequim sports,” Jan. 2, 2019).
— Third place, editorial pages.
• Staff
— First place, Online Photo Essay (“Sequim Lavender Weekend”) (Hawkins, Nash).
— Second place, Online Photo Essay (“Sequim Little League opening”) (Dashiell, Nash).
— Third place, Online Photo Essay (“Clallam County Fair”) (Dashiell, Hawkins, Nash).
Special Sections
• Foster
— Second place, Lifestyle/Culture (“Living on the Peninsula”).
— Third place, Event/Festival (“North Olympic Discovery Marathon”).
— Third place, Community Guide (“Who’s Who”).