Four-time champions: Standard named best newspaper in its class
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In another impressive showing during the annual Tennessee Press Association awards ceremony Friday afternoon in Nashville, the Standard was named best newspaper in its class. It gives the Standard an unprecedented fourth straight Sweepstakes Award.
“This shows that hard work and dedication does get noticed,” said Standard publisher Patricia Zechman. “I’ve always said I would match our newspaper up against any newspaper our size. This shows again we’ve got a product second to none. I’m excited and I think everyone on our staff is excited.”
Newspapers are judged in different categories such as news story, feature photo, editorials, sports, and layout, to name a few. This year, the Standard captured first place in two categories, feature writing and promotion of newspapers.
The Standard also earned a number of second-, third- and fourth-place finishes.
Several articles were submitted in the feature writing contest, including stories about Reba Reynolds and her doll collection, Gene Pegg and his homemade birdhouses, and Gina and Alan Cleek and their work to save horses.
Banana Day and the paper’s weekly NASCAR contest were submitted for special promotions.
“From top to bottom, we are the best paper around,” said editor James Clark. “Winning the Sweepstakes Award four times in a row speaks for itself.”
The Sweepstakes Award gives the Standard a complete sweep this year in receiving Tennessee Press Association honors. During an earlier advertising conference, the Standard earned the top honor, the Jack Freeman Memorial Award, for its publication “Love Stories” which recognized couples who had been married over 50 years.
The newspaper’s circulation department also gained first-place honors this year for an innovative promotion which combined a Valentine’s Day blood drive with a subscription drive. In addition to attracting well over the usual number of blood donors, the paper sold 52 subscriptions.