HSPA Foundation 2015 Better Newspaper Contest Award Winners

HSPA Foundation 2015 Better Newspaper Contest Award Winners

Division 1: Pages 2-16

Division 2: Pages 17-31

Division 3: Pages 32-47

Division 4: Pages 48-64

Division 5: Pages 65-80

Division 6: Pages 81-96

Non-divisional and special awards: Pages 97-100

DIVISION 1

Category: 1 Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Dean Bolin

Spencer County Leader (Ferdinand)

Bringing Erica Home

Rarely is a murder victim given a chance to have her voice heard after her death. Dean Bolin did a nice job of using passages from Hagan’s travel blog to show readers what type of person she may have been. This was a great way to place a local spin on a national story.

Second Place

Amanda Matlock

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Final charges pending

Superb use of public documents to supplement the story! And the picture of the doctor being arrested is an attention grabber.

Third Place

Jessica Shinn

The Loogootee Tribune

Fire devastates downtown

Simple fire stories often fail to show the overall damage caused by the blaze, but Jessica Shinn did an excellent job of illustrating how the fire affected the present as well as the past. The historical photographs also added something special to the story.

Category: 2 Best News Coverage with No Deadline Pressure

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Debbie Blank

The Herald-Tribune (Batesville)

“Center supports child abuse victims,” Oct. 31, 2014; “Two experts interview children about abuse,” Nov. 4, 2014; “Mardi Gras ball will be CAC fundraiser,” Nov. 7, 2014

Very in-depth look at an under-reported subject.

Second Place

Rob Hunt

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Champs reunite

Solid writing and storytelling of a community event.

Third Place

Alden Heuring

South Gibson Star-Times (Fort Branch)

President visits Gibson County

A detailed look at what happens when the president visits a small town. Excellent detail.

Category: 3 Best Ongoing News Coverage

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Clayton Doty

The Benton Review (Fowler)

Police search for missing woman; Grisly twist in search for Nena Metoyer; Human remains found; Coroner says Jarding killed herself; Body found identified as Metoyer

Good coverage of story that had twists and turns. Nice writing and keeping readers informed of updates along with sidebars and boxes.

Second Place

Amanda Matlock

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Town considers trash fee / Pendleton residents to pay new trash fee/ New Pendleton trash fee coming soon

Nice clean story, clearly written and gives all the facts that residents need to know about the issue.

Third Place

Susan Carpenter

The Garrett Clipper (Garrett)

Town of Altona challenges leadership

Good leads for each story and good coverage of a contentious topic with several issues.

Category: 4 Best General Commentary

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Christopher Aune

The Herald-Tribune (Batesville)

Solve world problems with locally grown flavors; Bring the drug problem (and solution) home; Get smart, help end violence

Focused and pointed commentary on major social issues affecting this and every community.

Second Place

Amy Hillenburg

The Mooresville/Decatur Times

Modern attitudes

Straightforward, good reporting. Timely commentary on issues both local and global.

Third Place

Donald Steen

The Spencer County Journal-Democrat (Rockport)

On the trail of Joe Biden; Embrace all aspects of our history; Flying with the Thunderbird

Shows a good variety of interesting topics.

Category: 5 Best Editorial Writer

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Debbie Blank

The Herald-Tribune (Batesville)

“Freudenfest is admirable,” July 29, 2014; “Wanted: concerned board candidates,” Aug. 5, 2014; “Voters must act, not complain,” May 1, 2015

Editorials are on hyper-local topics and also inform the readers. Great job!

Second Place

Vincent Luecke

The Spencer County Journal-Democrat (Rockport)

Repairs to State Roads Long Overdue; What if they come for us Someday; Class of 2015, Our Hopes Rest on You

Editorials are well written, to the point and kept my interest.

Third Place

Stuart Cassidy

The Spencer County Journal-Democrat (Rockport)

Trails Funding Bodes Well for County; Teaching models will need time to mature and Update Sunday Alcohol Laws

Category: 6 Best Business/Economic News Coverage

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Steven Penn

Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)

Final cut

Steven Penn made the late small-town barber Norm Ooley come alive one more time in a sweetly told tale that relies on the recollections of Ooley’s widow, Carolyn. Through his narrative, we see how the man and his business were inseparable, and the role he and it played in the community. A joy to read.

Second Place

Lisa Hoppenjans

Spencer County Leader (Ferdinand)

Santa Paws Pet Park

Lisa Happenjans shows community journalism at its best, providing information about a service sure to please many in the community – a creative “Pet Park” daycare program for animals. She paints pictures of the activities, personalizing the service, and the story. Very nicely done.

Third Place

Amy Hillenburg

The Mooresville/Decatur Times

‘Stemming’ the pain

Amy Hillenburg handled a very difficult assignment well: telling the story of newly available stem cell therapy for pets. She managed to provide a great deal of medical information while maintaining the narrative flow of her story – no easy trick. Excellent handling of a complex, technical story.

Category: 7 Headline Writing

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Amanda Matlock

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Curiosity saves the cats / Prison break / Life on the farm

Engaging headlines that go beyond cliche to draw the reader into a series on community programs at a local prison.

Second Place

Scott Slade

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Egg scramble / Tri, tri again / Extra helpings

Puns are best used sparingly,but these are effective, especially in second and third entries.

Third Place

Kyle Lewis

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Taking a hike / Rank and file / Hart and soul

First and third are good play on key words and subjects of story. Second entry seems a bit forced.

Category: 8 Best Short Feature Story

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Amanda Matlock

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Prison break

It is clear the writer knew the subject. Excellent storytelling.

Second Place

Amanda Matlock

Times-Post (Pendleton)

Shoe santa looking to add to his nice list

Easy to read story that hits home. Excellent writing and storytelling.

Third Place

Brittney Lundy & Lisa Hoppenjans

Spencer County Leader (Ferdinand)

Raise the song of harvest home

A well-written story created out of an unusual event. Good storytelling.

Category: 9 Best Profile Feature

Division:N1 Nondailies less than 3,001

First Place

Jeff Jones

The Butler Bulletin