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2008 Better Newspaper Contest — Sports Coverage

contestheader

Division 2 Dailies 7,001 to 99,999
Division 3 Dailies 7,000 or Less
Division 4 Semiweeklies 4,001 or More
Division 5 Semiweeklies 4,000 or Less
Division 6 Large Weeklies
Division 7 Medium Large Weeklies
Division 8 Medium Weeklies
Division 9 Small Medium Weeklies
Division 10 Small Weeklies

Sports Coverage

View Winners' Slideshow

Division 2 Large Dailies

1. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal — Excellent feature layout and photos. Writing can improve (no final score until fifth paragraph of “general salute” story?) Otherwise feature and game articles were entertaining, added color to very colorific pages.

2. The Galveston County Daily News — Feature, column writing is solid with exceptional range of coverage. Solid section. Layout very good, but pages are a bit cluttered in spots.

3. Odessa American — Solid leads, diverse coverage. Use of graphics, head shots good but a bit much especially on front pages.

4. Midland Reporter-Telegram — Really liked diversity of sections. Feature layout use of photos can improve.

Division 3 Small Dailies

1. The River Cities Daily Tribune, Marble Falls — Nice use of space and art (pics, quote boxes, etc.) Layout was diverse and worked with importance of stories. Try to be more creative with headlines.

2. The Banner-Press, Brenham — Solid section. Very thorough with solid, straight-forward writing. Pictures, especially volleyball and weight lifting pics, are nice but layout became gray in spots.

3. Terrell Tribune — Steady writing, pictures could not overcome layout. Liked creative use of quotes.

4. Brownwood Bulletin — Nice layout at times, good use of space. Writing, especially leads, stood out but could not overcome poor picture quality.

Division 4 Large Semiweeklies

1. Wise County Messenger — Read and kept on reading. Good writing with good/excellent use of quotes. Liked the layout/design very much. Subscribers get their money’s worth.

2. Williamson County Sun — A fine sports section with equally fine sports coverage. Heavy on football but that’s Texas. A subscriber could sit and enjoy this type of work. Liked it very much.

3. Hood County News — Writing and photos sell this section. Not much room between the top four choices. Wish I could subscribe to them all. Good use of stats/standings to keep reader informed.

4. The Graham Leader — Lots of things (events) covered and some good sports features too. Enjoyed judging this contest and really enjoyed your work.

Division 5 Small Semiweeklies

1. The Highlander, Marble Falls — Let me read this anytime and allow me to enjoy the layout and photos. I really liked the story telling ability of the writer and the overall crispness of this section.

2. Copperas Cove Leader Press — Very passionate writing. Really enjoyable section to both view and read. Writers have a real gift. Where can I subscribe?

3. Andrews County News — Nice job on the sports section. Liked the writing. Enjoyed everything about it. Congrats to the writers and those wielding the camera. Good job!

4. The Monitor, Mabank — Eye-catching photos, good writing. Enjoyable. Good information provided to the reader. Keep up the good work. Wide range of sports covered and thanks for including the outdoors part too!

Division 6 Large Weeklies

1. The Rockdale Reporter — Nice column and sports writing Bill Martin. Great photos by Ken Esten Cooke! Loved “Tigers kicked out” head and layout! Good use of stats. Sprains and strains column a nice touch. Tigers away at college, nice. “Big play blue” loved the head. Hall of honor done well. Well organized. Very nice job! You do need more quotes in stories. You’re doing a great job!

2. Pleasanton Express — Daniel Elizondo does a nice job of keeping his readers in touch. Photo usage very good. “End of dream” photo stories well done. I love your enthusiasm.

3. Hays Free Press, Kyle — Nice clean look; excellent photos; sharp, distinct layout. I like “sports shots.” Good column by Gordon. Stats and scoreboard missing.

4. Wylie News — A very good sports section. But it lacks heart and soul in the writing. Still, great job. Good photos drew me in.

Division 7 Medium Large Weeklies

1. Westlake Picayune — The layout was very solid, using good photography to draw readers into the well-written stories. The IV-titude headline was a great use of creativity.

2. Clay County Leader — The design was very clean, giving the reader an easy job to follow. The writing was quite good and the use of photography aided both the design and the writing.

3. The Countywide, Karnes City — I loved the design using the text flowing around the photo in the May 9 selection. Overall, the photography was above average, but some of the photos were larger than needed. The writing was good as was the overall coverage.

4. Schulenburg Sticker — The writing was solid. The use of photography was quite good. The design wasn’t bad, but at times it was a bit awkward.

Division 8 Medium Weeklies

1. Hill Country Community Journal, Kerrville — This is a quality sports section. Lively photos, exciting headline, good use of graphics and statistics. Couldn’t wait to read the next page. Very enjoyable. You love your work.

2. Pilot Point Post-Signal — Richard Greene’s writing is very strong. Good leads, use of quotes. Audrey Svane feature well done, great photo.

3. The Canadian Record — Good photos, very good writing. Nice job.

4. The Clifton Record — Good photos. Sport edition put you over the others because of features inside.

Division 9 Small Medium Weeklies

1. Pearland Journal — The writing is great, the photos enhance the stories and the layout is fantastic. Well done!

2. Pflugerville Pflag — Solid writing is aided by high-quality photography and design to deliver an outstanding section.

3. The Citizen, Clear Lake — The writing is good as is the photography. The design is quite clean for the most part.

4. The Olney Enterprise — The design was quite clean and led to an easy read and attractive feel. The writing was decent and the photos enhanced the stories.

Division 10 Small Weeklies

1. Murphy Monitor — A blue ribbon winner in many ways. The overall layout stands out at the top. Good use of color and logos. Clean, neat layout. Exceptional writing. Superb job!!

2. Sachse News — A close second to is sister publication — the Murphy Monitor. Although the layouts are similar (and in some cases the same) the Murphy Monitor is just a step more attractive. Very good writing; exceptional photos. Great variety of stories, a definite award-winner and a sports section to be proud of.

3. Alvarado Star — Exceptional layout, except of the 1/2 page ad on the one entry. Good action photos and well-balanced sports stories. Good writing and stats and standings are a real plus.

4. The Gazette, Alvord — Got lost trying to find the opening paragraph on Oct. 25 issue. My eyes led me to paragraph #4. Overall, a good sports section. The fishing and racing columns add a lot. Photos aren’t as strong as the top three, but good action shots nonetheless.