Staff report

The Wauneta Breeze

The Wauneta Breeze competed well against the other weekly newspapers across the state, most of which utilize full color print capability and larger staffs. 

Winners of the Nebraska Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest were announced during the  NPA’s spring convention held this past weekend in Kearney.

The Breeze garnered 12 first place awards, nine second place awards and eight third place awards for writing, photography and design work published in 2008 and judged by members of the Missouri Press Association.

Among all Nebraska weekly newspapers competing across all circulation categories, the Breeze was surpassed in total points only by the Gretna Breeze and Gering Courier which tied for first place for the coveted Loral Johnson Award. The Aurora News-Register, published by Johnson’s son, Kurt Johnson, took third in the sweepstakes.

In its Class A circulation category — up to 1,000 — the Wauneta Breeze was second behind the Gretna Breeze. In the prestigious category of general excellence, however, the Wauneta Breeze took first over the Gretna paper.

Other first place awards for Wauneta included:

• Editorial Page, design/content.

• Web site, design/content

• Photo page, Harvest Fest

• Special section, 4-H Fair section

• Public notice and promotion

• Specialty pages, Bronco Beat

• Sports column, Dave Vrbas, Husker women volleyball

• Feature series writing, Tina Kitt, profiles on local 90-year-olds

• Spot news writing, Tina Kitt, coverage of last year’s spring storms

• Ad campaign, Susan Jones for work done on “I Want That” ads

• Single retail advertising, Tina Kitt, Tommy’s Sports Club.

Second place awards:

• Runner-up in the Loral Johnson Award Weekly Sweepstakes

• Class A Best in Class standings

• Headline writing

• News photography, Russ Pankonin, Democratic National Convention

• Spot news photography, Tina Kitt, train derailment

• Computer graphics, Tina Kitt, presidential caucus

• Feature series writing, Tina Kitt, St. Paul’s Lutheran 100th anniversary

• Single feature story writing, Tina Kitt,  long rider Bernice Ende

• Small ad, Tina Kitt, Tommys’s Sports Club

Third place awards:

• Editorial writing, Dave Vrbas and Tina Kitt

• Single classified ad, Susan Jones, Heritage of Wauneta

• Youth coverage, Breeze staff

• Sports feature photo, Tina Kitt, Dugout days, baseball boys

• Spot news photography, Tina Kitt, car wreck rescue on Stratton/Hamlet road

• Computer graphics, Tina Kitt, moisture totals

• News writing, Tina Kitt, presidential caucus

• Spot news writing, Tina Kitt, weekend fire coverage

Area papers snag awards

The Imperial Republican — which is co-owned by Johnson Publications, along with the Breeze, the Grant Tribune-Sentinel and the Holyoke (Colorado) Enterprise — garnered 12 awards, including the Omaha World-Herald’s Service to Agriculture among the state’s weekly papers  with circulations below 2,500 which carries a cash award.

The Republican, competing among Class C newspapers with circulations  between 1,501 and 2,800,  earned first place awards for Web site; in-depth writing for Russ Pankonin’s coverage of the region’s water issues; small ad by Chris Fidler and Karen Hayes; and signature page by Fidler and Hayes.

The Republican earned three second place awards in signature page by Fidler and Hayes; advertising campaign by Fidler and Hayes and news writing by Jan Schultz.

The Republican also captured five third place awards — sports page; sports feature photo by Pankonin; reader contest by Jana Pribbenno, Fidler and Hayes; computer graphics by Fidler; spot news writing by Schultz.

The Grant Tribune, also competing in Class C, captured two awards — first place in single retail ad and second place in classified page.

During the weekend four $2,000 NPA scholarships were presented to graduating seniors or currently enrolled college students studying journalism. 

Laura Lutz of Benkelman was one of the four students receiving an NPA scholarship Saturday.

Dean Dorsey, publisher of the Cozad Tri-City Tribune and Free Press, was presented the Master Editor-Publisher Award Friday evening.
This award is the highest honor bestowed by members of the Nebraska Press Association, the state’s oldest trade association, which is comprised of 178 daily and weekly member newspapers in Nebraska.