Southeast Missourian wins awards in Press Association contest

The Southeast Missourian took home 30 awards in the Missouri Press Association�s Better Newspaper Contest, including top honors in general excellence, investigative reporting, breaking news story, best overall design and best website.

The contest divides newspapers in classifications based on size, so newspapers compete against similar-sized publications. The Southeast Missourian won in categories for writing, sports coverage, special sections and also dominated several photography categories. The awards were publicly announced at a banquet over the weekend.

The Southeast Missourian won 13 first-place awards, five second-place awards, six third-place awards and six honorable mentions.

One judge, commenting on the general excellence category, wrote the Southeast Missourian demonstrated �solid telling of stories through both visuals and words throughout, which helped separate it from other entries in a tight field.�

The newspaper�s �Life Without� series, the ongoing saga of the exoneration of David Robinson, took home two first-place awards, one for investigative reporting and the other for best feature story. One judge wrote, simply �Wow� for the feature category.

The newspaper won first place for best sports pages. �Good ideas for content and an outstanding complete package,� a judge wrote.

The Southeast Missourian was �a clear winner� in the website category, according to a contest judge.

�As I�ve stated before, we never write a story or take a photo for the sake of winning a contest,� editor Bob Miller said. �We generally come in every day and do our best to cover our community in as comprehensive and skillful way as we can. It�s reaffirming to win awards, knowing that our work stacks up with other papers� best work. We�re thrilled to win so many awards.�

Here is a full list of the awards:

First place:

• Best news or feature section: The Bridge magazine
• Best military story: ��Give it my all�: Invictus Games� by Marybeth Niederkorn
• Best sports feature photograph: Andrew J. Whitaker
• Best breaking news story: �Tornado ravages Perry County; recovery begins,� by Tyler Graef
• Best investigative reporting: Life Without, by Bob Miller and Tyler Graef
• Best photo package: �Foster-ing the Youth,� by Andrew J. Whitaker
• Best feature story: Life Without, by Bob Miller and Tyler Graef
• Best feature photograph: �High diver,� by Fred Lynch
• Best story about rural life or agriculture: �Four years lost: Vineyard destroyed by Dicamba,� by Tyler Graef
• Best overall design: by staff
• General excellence: by staff
• Best online newspaper or website: by staff, James Baughn webmaster
• Best sports pages: by staff

Second place:

• Best coverage of rural life or agriculture: by staff
• Best sports feature photograph: �State golf qualifier� by Andrew J. Whitaker
• Best photo package: �Kinslee�s Journey,� by Andrew J. Whitaker
• Best coverage of the eclipse: by staff
• Best video: �Rock steady boxing,� by Laura Simon

Third place:

• Best news photograph: �Perry County tornado aftermath,� by Fred Lynch
• Best editorial: �Appreciating the floodwall, and leaders who built it�
• Community service: Semoball Awards, staff
• Best local business coverage: by staff
• Best sports feature story: �In her honor,� by Phillip Suitts
• Best video: �Total solar eclipse over Houck Stadium,� by Ben Matthews

Honorable mention:

• Best news or feature special section: TBY, by staff
• Best military story: �Haunting memories of D-Day,� by Tyler Graef
• Best front page: by staff
• Best video: �2017 Semoball Awards intro video � Every Moment,� by Jeff Rawson
• Best sports news story or package: �Three-peat,� by Phillip Suitts
• Best story about the outdoors: �Taking to the trails: county featured in magazine,� by Marybeth Niederkorn