The Santa Maria Sun is now a national award-winning paper. The Sun received four top awards from the 2009 Better Newspaper Contest and Better Newspaper Advertising Contest, held by the National Newspaper Association.
Best of Santa Maria Valley 2008 took first place for Best Special News, Sports, or Feature Section or Edition, non-daily division, circulation 10,000 or more. Two of Ross Mayfield’s cartoons—Air tanker dropping cash and Lois Capps on a milk carton—received second and first place, respectively, for Best Original Editorial Cartoon, non-daily division. And Sarah E. Thien’s April 2008 cover story “See you next year?”—which delved into the uncertain future of a pink-slipped teacher—won third place for Best Education/Literacy Story, non-daily division, circulation 6,000 or more.
According to National Newspaper Association officials, there were 1,713 entries in the Better Newspaper Contest and 356 entries in the Better Newspaper Advertising Contest, to make up 2,069 entries. A total of 143 member newspapers in 42 states won 639 awards. California papers laid claim to the most combined wins with 93.
Winners will be recognized at an awards reception at the National Newspaper Association’s 123rd Annual Convention and Trade Show on Sept. 26 in Mobile, Ala. Winners will also be recognized in a special contest insert in the October issue of Publishers’ Auxiliary, which will feature judges’ comments.
Established in 1885, the National Newspaper Association is the voice of America’s community newspapers and the largest newspaper association in the country. The nation’s community papers inform, educate, and entertain nearly 150 million readers every week.
This article appears in Jul 16-23, 2009.