First Place - Central Kentucky News Journal, Richard RoBards
“County Needs Hiring Guidelines” good analysis of apparent case of nepotism and why local government should address it. Liked the summary of issue/opinion/response. Well presented editorial with a solution for action.

Second Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Mike Scogin
“City must take steps to resolve computer mess” clean presentation of breakdown in city finance office and lack of oversight by elected officials. Giving the mayor space on same page to respond was a nice touch.

Third Place - Appalachian News-Express, Rachel Stanley
Took strong stand on corporate entity that did not live up to obligations. Too often editorials focus only on governemnt, local and state. Good job.

 

First Place - London Sentinel Echo, Allison Altizer
Well written story that grabs the reader and holds their attention.

Second Place - Appalachian News-Express, Rachel Stanley
Rachel Stanley does a good job with her story, pictures and layout.

Third Place - News Democrat & Leader, Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper does a great job with the timely photo. A real attention getter.

Third Place - Paintsville Herald, Loretta Tackett
Excellent human interest story with timely photos.

 

First Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Kevin Hall
Hall not only captures the action of the overflow meeting, he looks ahead to the next steps and reveals what side council members are leaning toward. Unique, quotable quotes move the story along.

Second Place - Princeton Times Leader, Chip Hutcheson
Serves the reader by focusing on the impact of this new industry on the community. Specific details on jobs, economic impact and a glance box on the company are useful and enlightening.

Third Place - Central Kentucky News Journal, James Roberts
Roberts clearly and concisely explains the complicated system, warning readers of the fraud scheme and the potential punishment to those who get involved.

Honorable Mention - Appalachian News-Express, Mike Moore
A compelling account of a horrific hate crime.

Honorable Mention - Princeton Times Leader, Stacey McCaslin
Story on local soldier’s remains being recovered and returned to his family 37 years after his death in Vietnam was exhaustively researched.

 

First Place - Central Kentucky News Journal, Neila Schuhmann
Story on triplets to be born in county, captures one’s interest. Nice tie-in with parents of triplets born 23 years earlier, includes hints on how to cope!

Second Place - Paintsville Herald, Loretta Tackett
Story about inmates making violins out of popsicle sticks is totally cool! I just wish Bill Monroe were still alive to read it!

Third Place - Appalachian News-Express, Nancy Goss
This story of roads named for two guys who died in Vietnam is made of the stuff that really matters to folks in small-town America.

Honorable Mention - Appalachian News-Express, Rachel Stanley
Story of ‘26 Valentine’s Day flood no doubt brought back many memories and more stories from people in the area.

Honorable Mention - News Democrat & Leader, Becky Coursey
The “Couple Renews” story is lovely and the photo of renewing vows is classic!

 

First Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Mike Scogin
Columns written with a sensitive touch and personal warmth that readers connect with. Especially strong was one of unsolved murder which combined tragedy and mystery with several local angles.

Second Place - Kentucky Standard, Stacey Manning
Column on dangers of smoking was effectively achieved, considering it’s a oft-done subject. Also, probably courageous in a tobacco area, which was described so well in the column about “Granny’s Kitchen.”

Third Place - Princeton Times Leader, Chip Hutcheson
Good variety on local subjects -- tourism, high school sports and unforgetable character. Maybe a little longer than reader’s attention.

 

First Place - Central Kentucky News Journal, Bobby Brockman
Presented a lot of information, good local perspective, the kind of sports column any community newspaper would be proud to have.

Second Place - Appalachian News-Express, Tom Kopacz
Interesting, especially column on TV coverage jinx which combined information on games with unusual angle. The best sports columns don’t jump, they sparkle as Kopacz does at times.

Third Place - Shepherdsville Pioneer News, Mike Farner
Farner is obviously a knowledgeable observer of the area’s sports with the ability to put current games in perspective with past triumphs and defeats.

Honorable Mention - Princeton Times Leader, Todd Griffin
Very close to other entries. Little tighter editing would be welcome.

 

First Place - Morehead News, Denver Brown
Author did a fantastic job of capturing the emotions the local team felt after winning its first region championship in 16 years. Great lead and overall article!

Second Place - Paintsville Herald, Melinda Robinson
Writer lets you know the rivalry between the brothers may be more intense than rivalry between the schools. Great job!

Third Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Josh Underwood
You feel the disappointment the team experiences for losing in the title game. Good job.

 

First Place - London Sentinel Echo, Denis House
Well-written feature on an issue of great importance. Good lead hooked me, and then I couldn’t wait to get to the jump to learn more about the subjects of the story.

Second Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Josh Underwood
Timely story as the war on terror continues to be waged. Author makes you wish the best for the football player who is getting to live a dream.

Third Place - Central Kentucky News Journal, Bobby Brockman
Great lead jumpstarts a good feature about a local golf player’s opportunity to represent our country.

 

First Place - Grayson County News Gazette, Staff
This is a wonderful example of taking a topic in the news and building a theme of stories about the end of life. It’s fueled with a lot of local voices, emotion and practical advice. Excellent work by the whole newspaper.

Second Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Staff
Good idea to go back and examine the impact of the city’s four year liquor-by-the-drink law. The timeline on Page 1 helped readers new to the issue and focusing on predictions about what would happen when it was passed helped answer reader’s questions.

Third Place - Appalachian News-Express, Staff
Excellent one day look at the effect of Hurricane Katrina on gas supplies/prices and other local impact.

Honorable Mention - London Sentinel Echo, Carl Keith Green
Very nice story on the integrating of local schools pegged to the Brown vs. Board of Education anniversary.

 

First Place - Paintsville Herald, Andrea Bennett
Solid environmental research and reporting on impact of radioactive elements from Kentucky oil fields on the community of Martin. Articles seem to have led to citizen concern and state action on clean-up.

Second Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Kevin Hall
While not a series, Hall did a solid job of comparing rate of closed meetings in county’s government agencies. Good piece to alert public what to watch for.

Third Place - Kentucky Standard, Stacey Manning
Series of articles on Parkinson’s Disease combines good research and information with stories of local people and how they’ve coped with disease.

 

First Place - Shepherdsville Pioneer News, Robert White
Local newspaper did a good job of covering what turned out to be a big national story. Well done!

Second Place - Kentucky Standard, David Mann
Very thorough coverage of an age old issue impacting areas experiencing significant growth. Good job.

Third Place - Paintsville Herald, Loretta Tackett, Andrea Bennett
Good job of keeping up with a story that changed quickly once it broke.

 

First Place - Kentucky Standard, Stacey Manning
Puts a face on what could have been a typical business closing story.

Second Place - Appalachian News-Express, Mike Moore
“Business is Booming” is a good example of a small-town newspaper’s “Bread and Butter” business reporting. Includes pertinent detail, local impact and it was published ahead of official announcement. Good work!!

Third Place - Sentinel News, Walt Reichert
A good use of statistics to highlight local agri-business trend. Would have liked to see more quotes from horse farmers.

 

First Place - Appalachian News-Express, Jodi Turner

Second Place - London Sentinel Echo, Carol Mills

Third Place - Princeton Times Leader, Anita Baker

 

First Place - Sentinel News, James Mulcahy
Excellent photo, tells the story in one shot. All elements come together to give a complete picture.

Second Place - Appalachian News-Express, Joey Leslie
You chose an excellent angle. All elements come together to give a complete story including the victim at the side of the road, the road sign and the debris.

Third Place - Shepherdsville Pioneer News, Robert White
The total destruction and heartwrenching story is well shown.

Honorable Mention - Central Kentucky News Journal, James Roberts
Unusual angle adds to this accident shot to give a complete story.

Honorable Mention - Shepherdsville Pioneer News, Stephen Thomas
Good shot, tells the story well.

 

First Place - Central Kentucky News Journal, Calen McKinney
Good job capturing emotion.

Second Place - Sentinel News, Terri Miller
Nice photo.

 

First Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Emily Grove
Nice quiet moment. Would love to see as a print.

Second Place - Kentucky Standard, Bo Calvert
Beautiful photo with multiple layers.

Third Place - Morehead News, Denver Brown
Great angle.

Honorable Mention - London Sentinel Echo, Carol Mills
Good moment.

 

First Place - Sentinel News, Terri Miller
Good story. Great category!

Second Place - Kentucky Standard, Bo Calvert
Nice essay, but where’s the crowning?

Third Place - Kentucky Standard, Raluca Barzu
Not bad!

Honorable Mention - Kentucky Standard, Raluca Barzu
Nice composition, but where are the people watching?

 

First Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Matt Goins
Great impact!

Second Place - News Democrat & Leader, Drew Bewley
Good action, story composition.

Third Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Emily Grove
Well planned. Good and unusual angle.

Honorable Mention - Morehead News, Denver Brown
Tough shot to get. Great action!

Honorable Mention - News Democrat & Leader, Drew Bewley
Very artistic.

 

First Place - Kentucky Standard, Jason Nelson
Great use of strong composition.

Second Place - News Democrat & Leader, Steve Everett
Tells story from beginning to end.

Third Place - Kentucky Standard, Jason Nelson
Good storytelling.

 

First Place - London Sentinel Echo, Denis House, Peter Zubaty, Willie Sawyers
“State Champs” section stood out in a tough category. Lots of good photos, game stories and commentary. A great cover. I imagine this will be in a lot of scrapbooks for years to come.

Second Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Josh Underwood, Emily Grove, Matt Goins, Kevin Hall
Shows what good planning and preparation can do on deadline. This would be a good section win or lose. Another keeper.

Third Place - Kentucky Standard, Staff
One of the best local theme sections I’ve seen in a while. Enjoyed the look into local gardener’s world.

Honorable Mention - Georgetown News Graphic, Staff
“Horizons” was a well-done section with good use of color.

Honorable Mention - Shepherdsville Pioneer News, Robert White
“Meth” solid reporting on a growing problem.

 

First Place - Appalachian News-Express, Tom Kopacz
The function of a graphic should be to present complex info in a digestive package and “Trying to beat the heat” does that. A clean presentation coupled with a great attention getter added a lot of what was a good enterprise story.

Second Place - Central Kentucky News Journal, Jeff Mardis
Color-coded aerial photo of downtown area a good way to show what businesses would be affected by planned jail/judical complex. A good idea.

Third Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Kevin Hall, Emily Thompson
Tearing the city council’s swearing-in picture in half was a simple, but effective way to show rift in group. Better than typical mug shot lineup.

Honorable Mention - Paintsville Herald, Andrea Bennett

Honorable Mention - Sentinel News, James Mulcahy

 

First Place - Princeton Times Leader, Todd Griffin
Consistent use of cutouts and graphics take these pages to the next level. You can tell the page designer takes a lot of pride in his work. Great job!!!

Second Place - Appalachian News-Express, Tom Kopacz
Solid design combined with quality photos and graphics makes these sports pages something to see. Well done!

Third Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Josh Underwood
Design is well done, but a lack of color hurt this entry.

 

First Place - Kentucky Standard, Staff
Bardstown-Nelson County business tab was the standout in this category. Good mix of business news plus an innovative way to handle all the chamber news. The Script headlines were a little too much as was the Sans Serif body type in one issue.

Second Place - Sentinel News, Staff
Business and Real Estate section packed a lot into a one-and-a-half-page news hole. Good use of public records info, health inspections, real estate transfers and building permits. Nice eye-catching photo illustration on Bingo story.

Third Place - Princeton Times Leader, Anita Baker
Nicely done section that reflects community’s agriculture base. 6-column display of pix at bottom of pages made them a little bottom heavy.

 

First Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Staff
Eye-catching photos displayed well combined with snazzy headlines pushed this entry over the top. Great job!!

Second Place - Kentucky Standard, Stacey Manning
Interesting stories and well thought out layout make this one of the top entries in this year’s contest.

Third Place - Princeton Times Leader, Nancy Taylor, Jordan Boone
Great job with whole sections of interesting stories and design submitted consistently.

 

First Place - Appalachian News-Express, Rachel Stanley
Editorial page has a good mix of local colums, letters to the editor and hard-hitting editorial. The staff has done a good job of giving readers something to talk about!

Second Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Staff
Columns and editorials are engaging, particularly the one from the publisher about the paper’s duty to question government. We’d like to see some letters to the editor in next year’s entries.

Third Place - Kentucky Standard, Staff
Editorial on chamber survey was excellent. Well designed with good feedback from readers.

 

First Place - Kentucky Standard, Stacey Manning
Very clean design. Good use of graphics that you can tell were done in-house specifically for the feature package. Great looking page that staff can be proud of producing.

Second Place - Georgetown News Graphic, Staff
Attractive front page with a good mix of stories. Heaviness of the headline font throughout the front page kept this from being the top entry. Overall, however, very solid front-page design.

Third Place - Sentinel News, James Mulcahy
Good use of graphics mixed with solid design made this top front page. Pictures are well done. Keep up the good work.

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