2021 Premier Awards - Outstanding Community Service ( Circulation up to 1499,Circulation 1500 to 3999,Circulation 4000 to 6499,Circulation 6500 to 9999,Circulation 10000 to 12499,Circulation 12500 to 17499,Circulation 17500 and over)
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Place Name:
First Place
Contestant Name:
Goldstream News Gazette (Victoria, BC)
Entry Title:
Truth and Reconciliation
Entry Credit:
Cathy Webster, Goldstream Gazette Team
Judge Comment:
First place to Goldstream News Gazette for Truth and Reconciliation. Incredible. I can't tell you how many times the hair would raise on my arms reading through this—it sent shivers right through me. To me, this ultimately boils down to gaining empathy and understanding of others. This story featured by this newspaper tugs at the heart of what it means to be a human . . . that's something all communities can benefit from.
Place Name:
Second Place
Contestant Name:
The Lake Report (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)
Entry Title:
Pandemic Heroes: 15-week celebration of town's heroes
Entry Credit:
Richard Harley, Kevin MacLean
Judge Comment:
Second place to The Lake Report for its innovation and creativity on shining a light on 'Pandemic Heroes' — plenty of community outreach for this project; and something positive for people to focus on during a time of disruption. This feature is unusual as a pandemic is (hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Place Name:
Third Place
Contestant Name:
The World-Spectator (Moosomin, SK)
Entry Title:
Flight from Afghanistan
Entry Credit:
Kevin Weedmark
Judge Comment:
The World-Spectator editor really takes the initiative as Kevin plays a pivotal role in helping a family flee from a dangerous country. It's unusual to see someone from the newspaper to be immersed right into the story. Kudos to you and your team for the work done helping this family, despite the political or logistical challenges.
Competition Comment:
It has been a pleasure to judge these top notch entries for this contest.
Not sure if allowable but if it were, an honourable mention would go to the Gulf Islands Driftwood, Let's Pick It Up . . . Salt Islands! This newspaper somehow makes the initiative for trash-picking to err on the side of fun while providing a sense of community—and making the community a better space.
