North Carolina Press Association members were honored during the 147th annual convention held at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley. Awards were handed out during an advertising luncheon and editorial banquet on February 27.
Smoky Mountain Times won the following awards:
News Feature Writing, 1st Place, “The many circumstances of the homeless” by Melissa Ezro
General News Reporting, 2nd Place, “Road to Nowhere tunnel's future uncertain” by Jessica Webb
Editorial Page, 2nd Place, Smoky Mountain Times Editorial page by staff
Photography, General News, 2nd Place, “Fourth of July Heat” by Teddy Greene
City, County Government Reporting, 3rd Place, “Strays a problem, public says at hearing” by Jessica Webb
“As general manager/editor of Smoky Mountain Times, I continue to be grateful for the life Swain County offers and the work I am afforded to do and my staff does to keep the community well informed,” said Jessica Webb. “As a Community Newspapers Inc., publication, Smoky Mountain Times is committed to a high standard of journalism. We’re also in great company in Western North Carolina, and I want to extend congratulations to all the other award-winning newspapers in our area. WNC is truly a great place to live and cover the news.”
NCPA’s editorial and advertising contest is one of the largest in the nation with over 4,400 entries submitted by more than 100 newspapers and news organizations. Judging was completed by members of the Arkansas, Washington and West Virginia Press Association.
Awards cover a contest period of Oct. 2018-Sept. 2019. A list of categories and rules can be found at www.ncpress.com. Once again, NCPA welcomed record numbers of journalists and sales people at the annual convention with over 350 attending the evening banquet and over 480 attending the overall annual convention from February 26-28.