Category 1 - Best Editorial
First Place
Messenger Inquirer - Steve Vied
Great background, multiple supporting facts. Kudos to Mr. Vied and this newspaper for playing this issue up on its editorial page.
Second Place
Kentucky Enquirer - David Wells
To the point. A clear call to action on a public safety topic. Timely and not too wordy or boring.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Jamie Lucke
Well written with good background. Strong presentation on an issue that impacts the state.
Category 2 - Best Spot News Coverage
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Greg Kocher, Steve Lannen
Great lede. Tragic story told well. Kept me engrossed to the end.
Second Place
Kentucky Post - Shelly Whitehead
Great second day story. Well-written, kept me focused on crash and subsequent injuries.
Third Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Jim Hannah, Amanda VanBenschoten, Patrick Crowley
Well written.
Category 3 - Best General News Story
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Staff
Of all the stories we read, “The Final Minutes” was the best. Great reporting, writing and packaging. Great job for your readers.
Second Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Michelle Ku, Jim Warren
Good job with important story; nice packaging.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Michelle Ku
Good job! Strong writing made choice between second and third very difficult.
Honorable Mention
Kentucky Enquirer - Jim Hannah
Category 5 - Best Column
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Patrick Crowley
Easy read, got to the point quickly and enjoyed reading his subjects. Good columns.
Second Place
Messenger Inquirer - Karen Owen
These well-written columns were a joy to read.
Third Place
Paducah Sun - Dusty Luthy
This columnist had fun with her subjects and it showed in her well-written stories.
Category 6 - Best Sports Column
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Mark Story
Writing captures my attention and refuses to let go.
Second Place
Messenger Inquirer - Jim Pickens
Easy reading that makes me want to go on. Natural flow.
Third Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Ryan Ernst
Lots of details and support backs up columnist's stance. Great job.
Category 7 - Best Sports Story
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Janet Patton
What a good read, very well written. The best of the bunch.
Second Place
Paducah Sun - Dusty Luthy
Great lede, and continues with a good story.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Brandon Ortiz
Really good read about an illness to player, not related to sports injury. I was engrossed by the story.
Category 8 - Best Sports Feature Story
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Shannon Russell
Compelling story, very well done. A remarkable recovery from injuries. Story kept me enthralled.
Second Place
Paducah Sun - Dusty Luthy
This well-written tale makes a great read. This writer knows how to grab the reader in with the great ledes.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Alicia Wincze
This was a great story. Good writing.
Category 9 - Best Enterprise or Analytical Story
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Jamie Gumbrecht
Second Place
Kentucky Post - Dan Hassert
Third Place
Messenger Inquirer - Owen Covington
Category 10 - Best Investigative Story or Series
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - John Cheves
Obviously a great amount of research went into “The McConnell Machine” and the information is important to readers. It edged out strong field. Presentation could have been more reader-friendly with tighter editing.
Second Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Linda B. Blackford
Solid reporting on an important topic. Nice job!
Third Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Dan Horn
Good work. Nice presentation.
Honorable Mention
Messenger Inquirer - Joanie Baker
Category 11 - Best On-Going/Extended Coverage Story
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Staff
Excellent coverage of an issue of concern to many readers. Reporting and writing very good, but graphics made a big difference.
Second Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Cassondra Kirby, Valarie Honeycutt Spears
Sad reminder that failure to act can have tragic consequences. Tough story to report and write, but done very well. This is one in which reporters can have the satisfaction of knowing that they may make a difference - perhaps in saving a child's life in the future.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Bill Estep
Really good reporting, almost exclusively by Bill Estep, on a complicated subject. Pix and graphics added a lot to it.
Honorable Mention
Kentucky Post - Paul Long
Bombshell of a series.
Category 12 - Best Business/Agribusiness Story
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Cliff Peale, Peggy O'Farrell
Good perspective piece on a subject of great importance to readers. Creative design and graphics very effectively help tell the story.
Second Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Scott Sloan
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Beverly Fortune
Category 13 - Best Headline
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Vicky Broadus
Fits the story perfectly.
Second Place
Kentucky Enquirer - William Ferguson
Done well.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Will Scott
Definitely catchy.
Category 14 - Best Spot News Picture
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Patrick Reddy
Powerful image, too bad the person who laid this page out didn't have the vision to bring the entire photo above the fold.
Second Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Charles Bertram
In the line of fire, litterally. Picture tells the story.
Third Place
Messenger Inquirer - Jenny Sevcik
Great angle, but not enough feel to be the best in this category. Still an award winner.
Category 15 - Best General News Picture
First Place
Messenger Inquirer - Jenny Sevcik
I just couldn't get over the facial expressions. There were several good entries, but this photo just kept jumping out at me.
Second Place
Messenger Inquirer - John Dunham
Unique, which is what award winners are all about.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - David Perry
This photographer came up with a great photo in an otherwise normal weather event. Creative, quick.
Category 16 - Best Feature Picture
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Charles Bertram
This photographer is a real pro.
Second Place
Messenger Inquirer - Jenny Sevcik
Capturing real life, this photo could have easily been the winning submission.
Third Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Ernest Coleman
Funny, perfect timing.
Category 17 - Best Picture Essay (Spot, General or Feature)
First Place
Kentucky Post - Terry Duennes
Wonderful visuals presented in an effective layout. I doubt anyone could pass by this layout.
Second Place
Kentucky Post - Jason Geil
I feel as if I've just visited Buffett Country. Photos capture the scene.
Third Place
Messenger Inquirer - John Dunham
Effective blend of type and art to tell and sell this Kentucky Museum story. Gives good feel for topic.
Category 18 - Best Sports Picture
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - David Perry
Great emotion, picture tells the whole story. This was a clear winner.
Second Place
Paducah Sun - Stephen Lance Dennee
This photo shows what we're all looking for when we shoot a ballgame. It's got motion, action, the emotion on the catcher's face. It's all there, what I wanna know is was he safe or out? Photo should have run bigger, across the whole page.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - David Perry
Great shot coming across the finish line, capturing the emotion of the jockey and all the mud covering the horse.
Category 19 - Best Sports Picture Essay
Certificate of Merit
Lexington Herald Leader - Charles Bertram
Category 20 - Special Sections
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Staff
The Herald-Leader's sections stand among excellent competitive entries. Innovative design techniques combined with striking art and crisp stories are exceptional!
Second Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Howard Wilkinson
Excellent work.
Third Place
Paducah Sun - Ron Clark, David Moore
Good job!
Category 21 - Best Graphic
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Tim Curtis, Staff
Double-truck spread provides wealth of info on NASCAR events. You name it and it's there for race fans.
Second Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Mark Cornette, Mike Nyerges
Good job of presenting overview of Bengals' season. Quick reference.
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Camille Weber, May May Barton
This is a simple layout about apples, but it works. Info is there and serves apple eaters well.
Category 22 - Best Sports Page/Section
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Staff
Head and shoulders above the rest. Good use of art, nuggets and layout.
Second Place
Messenger Inquirer - Harold Martin
Wonderful art choices convey emotion of competition; smart headlines.
Third Place
Paducah Sun - Greg Stark
Clean design. Oddly, not too much action for a sports front.
Category 23 - Best Business/Agribusiness Page
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Brian Simms
Eye-popping design, appealing subject matter, lots of content for skimmers.
Second Place
Messenger Inquirer - Mary Kissel
The business columnist is unusually good; his subject matter is of broad appeal and his writing is very digestible.
Category 24 - Best Lifestyle Page
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Marilyn K. Cecil
Great treatment of a difficult subject, feminine hygiene, from illustration to writing and graphic inside. Nice to have you to make a sand castle. Liked the corkboard of “primary tactics,” though a little busy.
Second Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Stephanie Tobias, Martin Eggerding
Good info and style on “new place at the levee.”
Third Place
Lexington Herald Leader - May May Barton
Loved the Oscar package. Well-written and readable. Weekend cover eyecatching.
Category 25 - Best Editorial Page
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Joe Reedy, Blaine Mullins
Very attractive section with lots of appealing entry points. Very digestible. Surely, few readers could pass it up.
Second Place
Kentucky Post - Staff
A classic, attractive look. The subject matter is appealing and varied, and the writing is polished.
Third Place
Paducah Sun - David Cox
Clean editorial page with a classic look.
Category 26 - Best Front Page
First Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Brian Simms
Good mix of spot news and feature packages. Election analysis illustration funny, inspired. Comair package most comprehensive. Crisp execution throughout.
Second Place
Lexington Herald Leader - Jeff Bowen
Eye-catching centerprices on Sunday sections. Smart floaters/promos.
Third Place
Kentucky Enquirer - Joe Reedy
No knockout, but wins on points. Strong interesting centerpieces, plus good mix of local, national stories. Good keys to inside stories.
Category 27 - Best Newspaper Website
First Place
Kentucky Enquirer -
Great homepage layout; ongoing updates with latest news section, easy to find multimedia; didn't seem to be overloaded with content for the sake of content, and I didn't feel I was going to overlook something of interest; does a great job of moving just posting new to being a great community resource. Nicely done!
Second Place
Lexington Herald Leader -
Content pretty current and good. Navigation OK, strugggling a little to keep large amount of content at your fingertips. Design wise, bottom of homepage better than top section; and stork design OK. “Fresh Blog Headlines” is nice and interesting reading within. Very good site, just a few “tweaks” away from being a great site.
© Kentucky Press AssociationThird Place
Paducah Sun -
Pages wider than1024X768, but news visibility is good. Navigation poor on homepage, but better on section fronts. I'm not yet a fan of paid content, but understand the reasoning. Too many combinations of font/face/color/size and extra message.