General Excellence ( Circulation 6500 to 9999,Circulation 10000 to 12499,Circulation 12500 to 17499)
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Place Name:
First Place
Contestant Name:
Okotoks Western Wheel (Okotoks, AB)
Entry Title:
Western Wheel
Entry Credit:
Shaun Jessome, Ted Murphy, Remy Greer
Judge Comment:
Big pictures get attention! The Western Wheel does a great job of grabbing readers' attentions from start to finish. A good balance of news, sports, arts. A nice contemporary twist on the classic editorial page with a local editorial, columns, art and two pages of letters. Clever line in Murphy's editorial about "pumping their own tires or trying to deflate those of their opposition." It looks like reporters are hustling. Calver gets good pics. Colourful ads (Darrell's) grab your attention. Healthy amount of ads.
Place Name:
Second Place
Contestant Name:
The Squamish Chief (Squamish, BC)
Entry Title:
The Squamish Chief
Entry Credit:
Team
Judge Comment:
The Squamish Chief takes news seriously but has fun doing it. It's got a clean, accessible look; bright and contemporary.
Place Name:
Third Place
Contestant Name:
The Lake Report (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON)
Entry Title:
The Lake Report - General Excellence
Judge Comment:
Strong front page with three elements gives readers something to sink their teeth into.
Good array of local news. Good D-Day feature; Code Grey series stands out.
Sports is a strength here.
This relative newcomer in the community newspaper scene is earning its reputation.
Competition Comment:
The Western Wheel was a pleasant surprise in a field of varied community newspaper entries. Leaning on strong front page pictures, it goes all-in on a very tabby look and feel.
Lots of hard news in the Wheel with a balance of health, business, and community reporting. Very strong, bold arts and sports sections announce they're serious about covering those areas.
The Wheel was in a tight race with the Squamish Chief and The Lake Report - all of which show they take news seriously, but think of their readers' needs while doing it.
