Category 1 - Best Editorial

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Chuck Stinnett

Editorials don’t have to be critical, and Stinnett takes the time to highlight a school that turned itself from worse to first.

Second Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, John T. Davis

In an editorial that shows how city government shouldn’t work, Davis shows the reader, with the right amount of outrage, how elected officials have fallen down on their job.

Third Place - The Independent, John Cannon

In this editorial, Cannon throws down the gauntlet to Kentucky General Assembly, questioning their leadership.

Honorable Mention - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Steve Arel

In this editorial about a police officer charged with possessing child pornography, Arel challenges a judge’s ruling that makes no sense. He puts the public interest in the forefront, even if there are no answers.

Honorable Mention - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Warren Wheat

Politicians going to national conventions may not seem like a big deal, but Wheat shows readers how government stoppages effect them at home.

Category 2 - Best Spot News Coverage

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Beth Smith

Well written with tight, simple sentences and plenty of detail.

Second Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Brian Walker

Good overall, but it’s questionable to say in the lead that the wreck “was the result” of traffic from an earlier accident.

Third Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Emily Burton

This story would have placed higher if the lead had focused on what happened, rather than on autopsy being scheduled.

Category 3 - Best General News Story

First Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Jacob Bennett

Topnotch from start to finish. Great writing, description. Terrific storytelling.

Second Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Herb Brock

Creative news coverage of first-day of school.

Third Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Liz Maples

Clever, captivating advance story.

Third Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Erica Walsh

Good blend of background info, quotes. Balanced coverage is good.

Category 4 - Best Feature Story

First Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Sarah Baker

Nice story about former students trying to save their endangered schoolhouse.

Second Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Jerianne Strange

A fun story about odd Kentucky laws.

Third Place - Kentucky New Era, Stephanie Craft

Very fine job of telling the story.

Honorable Mention - Henderson Gleaner, Beth Smith

Honorable Mention - Henderson Gleaner, Donna Stinnett

Great attention getting approach to this story.

Category 5 - Best Column

First Place - The Independent, Kenneth Hart

Charming sarcasm and a knack for humor makes Hart’s columns entertaining and allows the reader to laugh at him or her self.

Second Place - The Independent, John Cannon

Cannon’s keen eye on pop culture and his hometown values give him a unique voice. His columns are punchy and exciting.

Third Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Herb Brock

Brock’s columns celebrate regular people, isn’t that what newspapers should do. His snap shots in the lives of locals provide interesting reading.

Honorable Mention - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Warren Wheat

Wheat adds common sense to issues of race and politics. His straightforward style makes his columns informative.

Category 6 - Best Sports Column

First Place - Kentucky New Era, George Wilson

Wilson mixes sports, opinion and world issues brilliantly. He pulls no punches and doesn’t drown the reader in his opinion.

Second Place - Henderson Gleaner, Kevin Patton

Humor inside knowledge and a keen sports eye makes Patton’s columns an entertaining read.

Third Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Norm Haney

There’s a side of sports that you don’t often see, people who don’t seek the headlines, but Haney does a masterful job of telling those stories.

Category 7 - Best Sports Story

First Place - The Independent, Mark Maynard

Good lead. Nice way to localize a big national story. Good use of quotes and good transition paragraphs. Tight, clear, straightforward writing.

Second Place - Bowling Green Daily News, O.J. Stapleton

The lead was a bit cumbersome, but once you got into the article, the play-by-play portion was especially well written and something often lacking form golf stories. Paragraphs were short and crisp.

Third Place - The Independent, Rocky Stanley

A lot of action words in an active voice made this enjoyable to read. Did a good job with quotes, especially considering that the subject of the piece wouldn’t talk to the media. Would have put the fact that it was Eplow’s first loss a couple paragraphs earlier.

Category 8 - Best Sports Feature Story

First Place - Kentucky New Era, Joe Wilson

An all-around nice job that tells a touching story yet with details that makes the subject come alive. Wilson knows how to use quotes effectively to make the story dramatic. The writer has to have a good handle on the team, coaching staff, etc. to tackle this subject and he does so with class and skill. All of this for a game preliminary. Very well done!

Second Place - The Independent, Rocky Stanley

I like Stanley’s writing skill and his focus. This is a story that takes you inside the life of an athlete struggling with decisions and life’s little difficulties. Stanley doesn’t write it for the sports junky, but for all readers. That’s appealing! He writes with detail, good use of quotes; paints a picture for us. Very nice job!!

Third Place - Henderson Gleaner, Mitchell Stinson

A very fun read. Stinson’s style is concise, to the point, not overloaded with quotes. He makes an over-50 softball event come alive and allows the participants to display their spirit. Good imagery throughout makes this a nice read. Very talented writer.

Honorable Mention - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Jeff D’Alessio

Right approach and a good subject, but I felt like I wanted to know more about Goodman. Very talented writer that just missed the cut. A tough decision to this one.

Category 9 - Best Enterprise or Analytical Story

First Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Brian Walker

An exhaustive look at how an issue is affecting local businesses and the community. Great job in giving user-friendly information to readers about what’s legal, what’s not and what should be done about it. With more than 40 entries, this category offered may good examples of reporting initiative. But the staff of the News Enterprise truly lived up to their paper’s name by picking issues they decided were newsworthy and developing thorough, well-written reports that went beyond follow up reporting and attempted to offer solutions to the problems they covered or exposed.

Second Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Sarah Baker

Interesting, helpful look at topic many communities struggle with, keeping teens occupied. Offers insight into why communities have limited options for terms and importantly offers insight into what parents, leaders and teens can do.

Third Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Erica Walsh

The two-part series tackled the topic of child care with an unexpected angle. Typically we hear about the lack of quality care, here we heard about how well it’s being provided and how profitable it is.

Honorable Mention - Bowling Green Daily News, Hayli Fellwock

Good job finding an off-the-path story. Good numbers and anecdotes. Records on weapon permits issued to women would have bolstered reporting. Was there anyone concerned about the trend, though?

Honorable Mention - Henderson Gleaner, Chuck Stinnett

Great little reader friendly story about sales tax issue that could save someone some money.

Category 10 - Best Investigative Story or Series

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Chuck Stinnett, Victoria Marty

Excellent package of stories, editorials and columns on the performance of Henderson County schools as compared with neighbors, particularly Daviess county. Great job of gathering statements.

Second Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Erica Walsh

Series does a solid job.

Third Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Jim Gaines

Good look at a local controversy.

Honorable Mention - Bowling Green Daily News, Hayli Fellwock

Outlined a serious problem and got a quick solution.

Honorable Mention - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Christopher Carpenter

Good detail on toxic shock in Hardin County.

Category 11 - Best On-Going/Extended Coverage Story

First Place - Kentucky New Era, Melony Leazer

Leazor sank her teeth into a good story, then she and the New Era didn’t let go until the public good was served by the release of the settlement documents. This effort is in the finest tradition of newspapering and has, sadly become a lost art at many papers. Leazer and the New Era are to be commended for their efforts.

Second Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Jim Gaines

On the surface, a sense of stories about an access road might not seem like a big deal, but Gaines did a terrific job of showing just how important one road can be to an area’s economy adn also how complicated it can be to determine who has rights ... and rights of way! Solid work here.

Third Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Jim Gaines

Gaines has another winner in his coverage of a lawyer who was found to have overcharged the city. This series didn’t cover as much uncharted territory as the others, but it was still thoroughly reported, fair and timely.

Honorable Mention - Danville Advocate Messenger, Herb Brock, Todd Kleffman

Terrific coverage of a bizarre murder, must have had some great breaking news to have bumped this from the spot news category.

Category 12 - Best Business/Agribusiness Story

First Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Lil Maples

Most thorough story in group.

Second Place - The Independent, Ben Fields

Nice, basic story that covers most of the bases.

Third Place - The Independent, Kenneth Hart

Best lead in group. Would have been higher with revenue numbers, other business details.

Category 13 - Best Headline

First Place - The Independent, Mark Maynard

A hoot! I got it right off and it was good.

Second Place - Kentucky New Era, Ryan Craig

Sets tone nicely for “fish out of water.”

Third Place - Henderson Gleaner, Steve Thomas

Category 14 - Best Spot News Picture

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Mike Lawrence

Great emotion with nice leading lines. We wish the paramedic would have been cropped out of the left side to make the image cleaner. This photo quickly rose to the top.

Second Place - Kentucky New Era, Danny Vowell

Nice story telling image.

Honorable Mention - The Independent, John Flavell

Nice hustle at spot news. Wish it was sharp.

Category 15 - Best General News Picture

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Darrin Phegley

Great moment! Great expression.

Second Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Joe Imel

Clothespins on body parts always makes for a great shot. A classic expression...

Third Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Joe Imel

Perfect example of how to find an interesting and humorous angle from a daily assignment.

Category 16 - Best Feature Picture

First Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Clay Jackson

A photograph where every single element comes together perfectly.

Second Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Joe Imel

Paying attention leads to a nice moment.

Third Place - Kentucky New Era, Danny Vowell

Gorgeous rainbow, well-framed with steeple. Done before, but done nicely this time too.

Honorable Mention - Danville Advocate Messenger, Clay Jackson

Great facial expression.

Category 17 - Best Picture Essay (Spot, General or Feature)

First Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Clay Jackson

The lead image made this package rise to the top. Other strong supporting helped keep it there.

Second Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Clinton Lewis

Another strong package. Nice tight edit and variety.

Third Place - The Independent, John Flavell

Nice tight edit on the photo page, but the lead color photo stopped this entry from placing higher. Nice variety in photos.

Honorable Mention - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, LeeAnn Seymour

This deserves honorable mention because of the tenacity of the photographer in telling the story. Saw some technical problems and lack of variety in photos.

Honorable Mention - The Independent, John Flavell

Deserves honorable mention because of the tight edit.

Category 18 - Best Sports Picture

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Mike Lawrence

Wonderful body language! We’re not so afraid of old age anymore!

Second Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Clinton Lewis

Better reaction photo than came out of the Red Sox historic World Series win.

Third Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Clinton Lewis

Nice action and reaction on the dunk. A bit too loose, but we liked it anyway.

Category 19 - Best Sports Picture Essay

First Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Greg Barnette

Nice moments off the field. We loved the lede photo of players catching raindrops.

Second Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Clay Jackson

Nice variety of images in day in the life of a coach. We wanted to see a picture from after the game, however.

Third Place - Bowling Green Daily News, Joe Imel

It’s a tough assignment showing the life of a new building. Photographer found some telling spaces and situations.

Category 20 - Special Sections

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Kathy Meadows, Staff

Wow, what a project this must have been to undertake. In the end, however, readers are treated to a fantastic 144-page look at the history of Henderson County through story editorial content and great photos.

Second Place - The Independent, Staff

Another strong historical piece. This section would have probably placed first any other year. The Independent’s staff has compiled produced and designed a great look at evolution of Ashland.

Third Place - Kentucky New Era, Kris Adams

Everything about this “Senior Scene” section is strong. Great use of photography in overall design and really liked use of spacing on section front. Makes for an inviting opening to information product.

Category 21 - Best Graphic

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Darrin Phegley

Far and away the winner in this category. Great mix of elements combined to make an interesting illustration. Like the use of the unfolding map and postcards to plot the trip from Henderson to Cedar Rapids. Carries the section front with ease.

Second Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Bobby Curd, Jane Cox

Nicely conceived illustration effectively uses drying barn to frame information vital to story. Makes a nice central piece of artwork for page one. Simple design that worked, very well.

Third Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Amanda Brannock

A well-executed design that even manages to make football coaches interesting to non-football fans. Works well in overall page design scheme without appearing too dominant. Nicely done.

Category 22 - Best Sports Page/Section

First Place - Kentucky New Era, Ryan Craig

Ryan’s pages are well-executed. Good job making pages visually interesting but keeping elements from competing. Strong content. The “Finally” page had nice visual flow, in particular.

Second Place - Kentucky New Era, Joe Wilson

Section after section, Joe brings variety to his pages. He avoids falling into ruts on his designs.

Third Place - Kentucky New Era, Ryan Craig

Very strong pages, but a lot of reliance on cutouts.

Honorable Mention - The Independent, Mark Maynard

Very clean design. Lots of helpful breakouts for readers.

Category 23 - Best Business/Agribusiness Page

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Chuck Stinnett, Kathy Meadows

Lively design, lively content make you want to plow through the section. The Gleaner does a nice job anchoring features, so readers know just where to look for favorite items. Overall, an attractive, well-organized interesting section. I enjoyed reading them.

Second Place - The Independent, Pam Holbrook

Nice page, especially the front featuring the soda fountain. This page has a very good visual flow. Liked the Rims page, too, but thought the two close-ups of the tires were a little redundant. Like the color palette for the flag and pull quotes.

Third Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, Christina Cathcart

Interesting stories that break out of traditional business stories, supported by strong art, lead to strong fronts. The monkey business front had me doing a double take to see if the mug ring stain was real. Nice execution on the pages.

Category 24 - Best Lifestyle Page

First Place - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Ryan Marx

Wow! Ryan’s feature pages show a wide ranging ability with an excellent sense of how to incorporate the design with the information the story is conveying.

Second Place - Kentucky New Era, Ryan Craig

“Bountiful Baskets” has loads of visual appeal. Just a fun page.

Third Place - Kentucky New Era, Ryan Craig

Good page organization. I thought the “Bountiful Baskets” entry was slightly stronger visually, but this was a tough call.

Honorable Mention - Elizabethtown News Enterprise, Ryan Marx

Ryan has an eye for detail. Right down to fonts on the bylines and caption to work to complement the cell phone package.

Category 25 - Best Editorial Page

First Place - Henderson Gleaner, Steve Thomas, Ron Jenkins

Good local columns, commitment to local issues. Prominence of letters shows community knows it can use page as forum for vigorous expression. Design could be updated.

Second Place - Kentucky New Era, Melony Leazer

Good presentation, concise editorials. Surprising that there aren’t more letters.

Third Place - Danville Advocate Messenger, John T. Davis, Jane Cox

Good reader presence with letters.

Category 26 - Best Front Page

First Place - Kentucky New Era, Ryan Craig

D-Day presentation was powerful. Staff stories more often exhibited more creative writing than some other entries. In fact writing gave this entry the edge. Well designed.

Second Place - Kentucky New Era, Ryan Craig

Good, clean presentation. Nice use of graphics.

Third Place - The Independent, Todd Garvin

Elegant, sophisticated design. Good thought going into graphics. While the writing is clean and straight forward it rarely rises to the level of the design and presentation.

Honorable Mention - Kentucky New Era, Jeremie Curtis

Good, bold layout. Good use of white space and graphics. How about a photo of kids playing street hoops?

Honorable Mention - The Independent, Jennifer Sewell

Great design, but content falls short of the designer’s talents. Photos and writing pretty constrained.

© Kentucky Press Association