After a year away from the Tennessee Press Association (TPA) awards, the Southern Standard picked up six top-four finishes in the state-wide newspaper competition co-sponsored by the University of Tennessee System and TPA. Entries were judged by members of the Virginia Press Association. The results of the annual competition, which saw over 1,100 entries from 71 newspapers across Tennessee, were announced Friday during a ceremony at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Franklin.
Randy Boyd, president of the UT System, presented awards at the ceremony. “News organizations have an increasingly difficult responsibility to tell the stories that impact our lives – the good and sometimes the not-so-good. We are fortunate in Tennessee to have outstanding reporters, photographers and designers who work with great enthusiasm and a genuine commitment to public accountability, and I truly appreciate the high standards you hold for yourselves in reporting in a fair and ethical manner,” Boyd said.
Highlighting the Standard's accomplishments was a first-place win for Best News Photograph. The winning entry was a photo of an automobile fire taken by Standard News Editor Bethany Porter.
Standard Sports Editor Jeff Simmons was recognized for second place in Tennessee for Best Sports Coverage with judges commenting on the "bold layout." Standard Managing Editor Seth Wright placed third in the state for Best Business Coverage for his Business Pulse column, finishing behind only The Knoxville Ledger and The Nashville Ledger, who took first and second, respectively. In giving Business Pulse the third-place spot, judges stated, "Enjoyed the first-person writing style. Made for fun reading." Simmons and Wright teamed up for a third-place finish in Best Headline Writing and "Fact Book 2022" earned a third-place finish in Best Special Issue or Section. Judges said of the section, "A real keeper. Filled with information that will be helpful throughout the year, while also including great stories from the area." Rounding out the Standard's awards was a fourth-place finish in Best Digital Presentation for SouthernStandard.com.
Southern Standard Publisher Pat Zechman was pleased with the newspaper's showing in the state competition. "While awards are certainly a nice recognition of our staff's hard work, our primary goal is to be the community's best source for local news. It's encouraging to see our media peers celebrating our continuing efforts to serve our readers," Zechman said.
