Evans publications do well at INA Better Newspaper Contest

    Winning 13 awards overall, the Lime Springs, Riceville and Cresco newspapers had a solid showing at the 2010 Iowa Newspaper Foundation Better Newspaper Contest this past Friday night.
    There was a huge crowd at the INA event, held at the Marriot Hotel in downtown, Des Moines, Feb. 5, with many government leaders attending along with the many winners.

Lime Springs Herald
    The Lime Springs Herald claimed either second or third in seven different categories at the banquet, scoring 14 points overall.  The Herald, entered under small weeklies with a circulation of 800, took second in five categories and third in two.
    “Marcie Klomp does an excellent job for us in Lime Springs and always uses her imagination in creating excellent stories for the newspaper,” said Dan Evans, publisher of all the Evans publications.  “It was unfortuante that she failed to get a first, because she truly is one of the best in the business when it comes to putting out a great paper.  She did place second in about every category, however, and that’s something to still be very proud of.”
    The newspaper has won over 70 awards over the past 10 years, all under the direction of Klomp.
    • The Herald took second for Best Feature Page on a church fire.  The judges were pleased with “good coverage of the church fire” and the additional  “history” presented on the page. “She also did a good job on working within limited space,” added the judges.
    Taking first was the North Liberty Leader with their “Cleanest Flush in Iowa” page, while the Solon Economist was second on a “Burn to Learn” page.
    • Klomp finished second in Best Headline Writing (11 entries), trailing only the North Liberty Leader, but beating the Prairie City News.  Judges comments were that she used a “strong combination of creative headlines and straight ones.”
    • Klomp took second for Best Spot News Story (14 entries) with her “Teacher, Neighbor” story.  Judges comments were that the story was “dramatically written,” a “smooth read,” and that it kept their attention.
    Taking first was the Riceville Recorder, while second went to the Woodward NE Dallas Co. Record. 
    • It was another second place finish in Best News Feature Story (34 entries) for Klomp for her “How to Harvest Ice” story featuring the Amish.  “This was a nice package comparing different lifestyles with historical perspective,” said the judges.
First went to the Solon Economist with third going to the West Brand Times.
    • The newspaper took second for Best Ad Featuring Automotive, Boats, Aircraft, Tires, Gas, Etc. with a Harrington Enterprises ad.  Judges comments were: “Nice use of co-op and white space.” 
    First went to the Sergeant Bluff Advocate. 
   • The paper took third place for a Halloween Party Ad for Best Ad Idea for a Community Promotion or Event, and was also third for Best Ad Featuring Furniture, Furnishings, Appliances or Hardware with a LeRoy Lumber ad. 
Riceville Recorder
    It was a great night for Casandra Leff and the Riceville Recorder, taking home three firsts and one second.  The newspaper scored 11 points in the contest.
    “Casandra has been working for our group of newspapers for several years and this was her first opportunity to win some awards as an editor,” said Evans of Leff. “It shows what she’s capable of.  It’s a difficult task to win one award, let alone three!  She does a wonderful job for us in Riceville.”
    • Casandra Leff took first place in Best Spot News Story with her “Ashes to Ashes” about the burning of two businesses in downtown Riceville.  “There was some very good scene-setting context,” said the judges. 
Second was the Lime Springs Herald and third was the Woodward NE Dallas Co. Record. 
    • Leff also took the top hardware in Best Series with numerous stories about one-room schools in the area.  The series is still going.  Judges comments were: “An exhaustive study of relics of a simpler time. Tons of local voices and mounds of historical research. Recognizable design, consistent and easy for reader to find.”
Second was the Sergeant Bluff Advocate and third went to the Prairie City News. 
    • The Riceville Editor finished second in Excellence in Editorial Writing as the judges praised her on writing a “very good editorial regarding education in this community.”
First went to the Conrad Record and third was the West Branch Times.
    • Leff closed with a first place plaque on Best News Photo on a Saturday morning fire in town. 
    Second place went to the Solon Economist and third to the Prairie City News. 

Cresco TPD
    The Cresco Times Plain Dealer won two awards, taking third with two ads entered.
“It’s been several years since the Cresco TPD has entered in the INA contest,” said Evans, who took over publication of the newspaper this past year.  “It was nice to see them win two awards in a very tough large weekly competition.  This is a good start for many awards to come.”
    • The TPD finished third in the Best Ad Series or Campaign Featuring Any Service or Merchandise (20 entries) with a Rupperts Ace Hardware series on cell phones. The ads had employees dressed up for certain holidays throughout the year.
    “This was a good, fun series with an uncluttered sales message,” said the judges. “Should garner them a lot of talk.”
    • The Cresco paper also took third for Best Ad Featuring Agriculture (23 entries) with a Windridge Implements ad featuring “small farm” equipment asking people to “Join the Veggie Revolution.”
    “Fun tag for this ad,” stated judges. “Great call-to-action ad. Header could have been a bit larger. Good work.”

Overall Winner
    Named Iowa’s Newspaper of the Year was the Des Moines Register who scored 100 points in beating out the Iowa Falls Times-Citizen with 80 points and the Sheldon N’West Iowa Review, who scored 79. 
In the General Excellence competition it was:
   • Des Moines Register for large dailies;
   • The Muscatine Journal for small dailies;
   • The Iowa Falls Times-Citizen for Class 3 Weeklies;
   • The Shenandoah Valley News for Weeklies Class 2;
   • The Sergeant Bluff Advocate for Weeklies Class 1.