The National Newspaper Association (NNA) announced the winners of its 2015 Better Newspaper Contest, and the Sun earned a few noteworthy distinctions. The judging period covered reporting done in 2014, and the Sun competed against newspapers nationwide to earn several first place distinctions, a couple of ranking awards, and honorable mentions.
A February 2014 cover story about how the drought affected local ranchers, “Stretched Thin,” by Interim Editor Camillia Lanham earned first place in the Best Agricultural Story category. Arts Editor Joe Payne’s March 2014 cover story about criminals getting caught through social media posts, “Selfie Incrimination,” earned first place in the Best Localized National Story category, and a cartoon by Ross Mayfield—The Beauty of Santa Barbara County Without Oil—won first place in the Best Editorial Cartoon category. Two third place distinctions include “Not a drop to spare” (covering the drought’s effect on agriculture other than cattle) by Camillia Lanham for Best Environmental Story and “The power of one” (about a program that brings acting to incarcerated individuals) by Joe Payne for Best Performing Arts Story. Two honorable mentions include Camillia Lanham’s environmental story “Big dam problem” (steelhead and the Bureau of Reclamation’s problems at Lake Cachuma) and Wendy Thies Sell’s feature story “Game-changer” (about a Lompoc-winemaker who lost his arm in an accident).
More information is available at nnaweb.org/better-newspaper-contest.
This article appears in Jul 23-30, 2015.