Inquirer named ‘Best All Around Newspaper;’ earns 8 awards

The Gonzales Inquirer brought home eight awards from the South Texas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest, including the biggest award of them all – Sweepstakes – which recognizes the Inquirer as the Best All Around Newspaper for the largest regional press association in the nation.

In addition to the most sought-after prize, the Inquirer earned first-place plaques for news writing and feature writing, and second-place recognition for news photos, special section, general excellence and Journalist of the Year.

The awards were handed out Saturday in the STPA annual convention in Round Rock.

The South Texas Press Association is the largest regional newspaper association in the nation, with members located as far north as Goldthwaite and Copperas Cove (between San Angelo and Waco) stretching almost 400 miles south to the Rio Grande Valley.

A year ago, the Inquirer finished third in Sweepstakes, while garnering first place for special sections, editorial writing and the prestigious Photographer of the Year award for Jeremy Weber. At the 2012 convention, the Inquirer received second-place awards for feature writing, feature photography and sports photography.

In evaluating entries from the 2012 calendar year, the contest judges found the competition to be so close, that the Inquirer could have earned two more first-place awards – general excellence and special sections – had the judges been nudged that way.

In awarding first place for news writing to stories about the bus crash involving the St. Joseph Victoria volleyball teams (October) and when a truck and trailer careened off the highway and through a mobile home (December), the judges said “excellent across the board – quality writing. Was long, but read short – good job.”

Similarly, in determining first place for feature writing to a story about Annie Laura Reese Forshagen who says she “grew up in the Inquirer” (June) and a behind-the-scenes look at an independent film crew from Austin shooting a movie at Pioneer Village and a county ranch (November), the judges' critique called it “quality writing, entertaining – just plain good and fun to read – even at the end of a looooong day of judging.”

Inquirer editor Lynn Adams wrote the first-place stories, but finished second in Journalist of the Year balloting, with the judges citing his work as “Good, solid writing. Well done.”

Awards that finished second, but which came within a whisker of the top spot, were in general excellence – “Solid news content. Superior layout. Could easily have taken first place. It was that close,” the judges said – and special sections (Discover Gonzales County) – “Love it. Could very well have been first place – the competition was that close. Excellent job.”

A second-place award was determined for news photos by Adams covering the St. Joseph volleyball teams bus crash (October) and a midday standoff on St. Joseph Street between police and a man threatening suicide (February), with judges’ praises including “Johnny-on-the-spot photographer – way to be there when the action is happening.”

Advertising also earned second-place recognition for full-page spreads in the newspaper and the Discover Gonzales County special section, with judges citing “Very good – car ads can be tough, but you made them inviting.”

Sweepstakes winners are determined by cumulative totals of points awarded for first, second and third place.