2020 General Excellence ( Circulation up to 1499)
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Place Name:
First Place
Contestant Name:
Salmon Arm Observer (Salmon Arm, BC)
Entry Title:
Salmon Arm Observer
Judge Comment:
The Salmon Arm Observer is my top pick for General Excellence. It's a pleasure to read, easy on the reader's eye, and very well rounded in terms of coverage—everything a newspaper should be. From stories on a single mom's struggle during the pandemic, crime, harrowing tales of escape from a fiery blaze to council news, the Observer's got it all. Well done, team.
Place Name:
Second Place
Contestant Name:
The Lake Cowichan Gazette (Lake Cowichan, BC)
Entry Title:
Lake Cowichan Gazette
Entry Credit:
Gazette Staff
Judge Comment:
A big fan of the Lake Cowichan Gazette's front page. It's bold and eye-catching—perfect for single-copy sales. The editor page, too, is very sharp and the many letters to the editor speaks to the health of this community newspaper, that and the healthy advertising section. This judge appreciates that the news and column pages are clearly delineated. A community paper at its finest.
Place Name:
Third Place
Contestant Name:
Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News (Tofino/Ucluelet, BC
Entry Title:
Westerly News
Entry Credit:
Andrew Bailey, Nora O'Malley, Teresa Bird
Judge Comment:
The Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News is an excellent study in community newspapers. It covers a wide range of community issues, including First Nations news which is so often lacking from the pages of Canadian newspapers. Refreshing to see. It's also wonderful to see such a healthy advertising section full of vibrant eye-catching ads. Way to go!
Competition Comment:
The timeframe given for entries was a tough one. We were at the start of the pandemic and like so many businesses, it was a tough time for newspapers. In some cases, this could be witnessed through an influx of house ads where no doubt paying business, a short time before, filled those same spaces.
At the same time it was a fascinating glance at how community papers faced the pandemic head on; pages were filled with useful information for their community on how to weather the storm, offered words of encouragement and thanks to front-line workers and shared stories of resilience and uplifting tales to help share a smile.
Community papers across this country rose to the challenge and did it very well indeed.
