Southeast Missourian wins 37 awards from Missouri Press Association

The Southeast Missourian took a raft of awards in the just-announced 2015 Missouri Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest.

Among the 37 awards or honorable mentions for the paper, its most impressive recognition was first place for general excellence in daily newspapers of its size, or with circulations of 5,001 to 15,000. All told, the paper won 13 first-place awards this time around -- two more than in 2014.

These are the Missourian's other awards in its circulation category:

• First place, best front page
• First place, best feature story (Tyler Graef/Kaden Robert supporters)
• First place, best sports photograph (Laura Simon/bucking bronco)
• First place, best sports feature photograph (Laura Simon/return specialist)
• First place, best photo package (Laura Simon/life on a dairy farm)
• First place, best news or feature special section, 110th anniversary section
• First place, best local business coverage, Amity Shedd
• First place, best coverage of government (Staff/Cottonwood to close)
• First place, best story about the outdoors (Tyler Graef/Hot wheels)
• First place, best information graphic (Bob Miller/Dealing with discipline)
• First place, best military story (Tyler Graef/Praying with the enemy)
• First place, best page design (Staff/Meet Tom Matukewicz)
• Second place, best news or feature special section, Flourish/Summer 2014
• Second place, best investigative reporting (Amity Shedd/Esquire Theatre project)
• Second place, best coverage of rural life or agriculture (Amity Shedd/Farm spotlight)
• Second place, best news photograph (Laura Simon/Crews battle house blaze)
• Second place, best breaking news story (Emily Priddy/Sacha Brown acquittal)
• Second place, best news story (Tyler Graef/Albino buck killed in Cape)
• Second place, best editorial pages, staff
• Second place, best sports pages, staff
• Second place, best sports news story or package (Rachel Crader/Coach flouted NCAA rules)
• Second place, best photo illustration (Glenn Landberg/The Bigger Picture)
• Second place, best story about history (Tyler Graef/Praying with the enemy)
• Second place, best military story (Tyler Graef/Grace notes)
• Second place, best page design (Staff/State champions)
• Third place, best news or features series ("Gone Girl" coverage)
• Third place, best overall design
• Third place, best photo package (Laura Simon/Super Marshall)
• Third place, best sports feature story (Erin Unerstall/Meet Tom Matukewicz)
• Third place, best story about rural life or agriculture (Amity Shedd/After the breach)
• Third place, best information graphic (Emily Priddy/Holding out for a hero)
• Honorable mention, best editorial (addressing neighborhoods)
• Honorable mention, best sports photograph (Glenn Landberg/Perryville soccer champs)
• Honorable mention, best sports columnist, Rachel Crader
• Honorable mention, best story about the outdoors (Tyler Graef/storm chaser)
• Honorable mention, best information graphic (Taylor Crowe/autism)

In 2014, the Missourian took home 28 awards in the Better Newspaper Contest, 11 of them first place.