BV Journal lands 10 awards in ‘Better Newspaper’ contest

The Brandon Valley Journal captured 10 awards in the 2022 South Dakota Newspaper Association’s “Better Newspaper Contest.”

The awards were presented May 12 at the joint SDNA-North Dakota Newspaper Association convention in Devil’s Lake, N.D.

The Journal was presented third place in General Excellence in the weeklies over 1,301 division. First and second place in the division went to Freeman Courier and Mobridge Tribune, respectively. 

The judge had nice things to say about the BV Journal: “Great scope and quality of stories for readers with inviting ledes including water tower update, cannabis licenses, influencer feature, golf course feature, ‘Talk of the Town’ calendar of events and even real estate transactions. Photography is best in class. Great eye. Nice job with stop action. Clean design. Professional ads. Well done.”

Journal editor Jill Meier brought home first place in both the Best Headline Writing and Best Lede categories. Her lede for the Corson school bell’s return to what is now Bottom’s Up, caught the judge’s attention.

“This lede made me want to read the story to find out how a school bell ended up in a bar to signal closing time,” the judge said. 

In the Best Sports Photo category, “Wide-eyed wrestler” (Elijah Schunke) earned Meier first place honors. The judge commented, “I’m not sure what exactly is happening in the match and I don’t care because my eyes go right to the wrestler’s eyes. The eyes, the hair – it makes this such a unique and interesting photo that I couldn’t help but put it in first place.”

Meier also collected a second-place honor in the Best Local Government Story. Her entry, titled, “Valley Springs polling site short on ballots, long on voters” was selected by the judge for reasons, “Very thorough coverage of Election Day troubles. Good quotes.”

Third place was won by Meier in the Best Potrait Photo category. She snapped a photo of Keeley Kotewa at Sioux Valley Energy’s annual Safety Day event eating pancakes. The photo caught the eye of the judge for based on the following comment: “I think I like this one over some others just because you got right in her face.”

County correspondent Dave Baumeister captured third place in Best Editorial Writing. Baumeister covers the Minnehaha County Commission for the Journal, Garretson Gazette and Minnehaha Messenger. The judge complimented Baumeister’s work, saying, “Excellent work here. Clean, crisp writing and clear message.” 

Journal staffers Kim Giese, graphic designer, and advertising manager Carl Deardoff were the creative behind the third-place “30 for 30” ad entered into the Best Newspaper Promotion. The judge commented, “Catchy! Would like to know if and how it worked.” 

The premise behind the advertising promotion is 30 words for 30 days for $30.

The Journal staff claimed first place in Best Special Publication for their work on the annual “Destination Brandon” visitor/community guide. The judge said, “Excellent layout throughout this publication. Great use of photos and graphics. Easy to read and well-organized.” 

The staff also won second place in the Best Special Section – Issue, the annual “Progress & Industry” publication, which puts the spotlight on the Brandon area’s industrial businesses. 

SDNA also announced the winners for the top prizes in its annual contest: General Excellence and Sweepstakes. General Excellence recognizes newspapers for overall quality work in news, editorial, advertising, design, digital and social media. The Sweepstakes category honors newspapers that garner the most points through awards won in categories within their respective circulation divisions.

The SDNA General Excellence winners for 2022 include:

• Weeklies under 1,300 circulation: Hamlin County Republican, Castlewood

• Weeklies over 1,300 circulation: Freeman Courier

• All Dailies: Mitchell Republic

The SDNA Sweepstakes winners for 2022 include: 

• Weeklies under 1,300 circulation: Hamlin County Republican, Castlewood

• Weeklies over 1,300 circulation: Freeman Courier

• All Dailies: Mitchell Republic

The entries for the 2022 SDNA Better Newspapers Contest were judged by members of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. A complete list of contest results can be found at www.sdna.com.

SDNA, based in Brookings, represents the state’s 105 weekly and daily newspapers.