WHEELING – Four West Virginia newspapers have earned first-place General Excellence awards, which honor outstanding editorial achievement by circulation division, in the 2013 West Virginia Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.
The General Excellence Award winners are Charleston Daily Mail in Division I, The Inter-Mountain of Elkins in Division II, Hampshire Review of Romney in Division III, and The Record Delta of Buckhannon in Division IV.
“This competition displays the quality of journalism in West Virginia. From the largest daily newspaper to the smallest weekly newspaper, West Virginian residents benefit from the outstanding and dedicated work of journalists working in the Mountain State,” said Don Smith, executive director of the West Virginia Press Association. “Community journalism remains the centerpiece of the newspaper industry in West Virginia. The West Virginia Press Association is proud to recognize and honor these outstanding journalists and newspapers.”
The results of the annual competition, which honors excellence in newspaper journalism were announced Saturday during a banquet at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling.
Newspapers across the state compete in four circulation groups, two each for daily and weekly newspapers. The contest has 25 categories, ranging from Coverage of Government Affairs to Best Sports Feature Writing and Best Editorial Page. In 2013, 40 newspapers entered 2,216 entries. The overall awards for General Excellence are based on awards won in the basic categories.
For General Excellence, the West Virginia Press Association recognized three places in each division. The newspapers recognized for General Excellence in editorial coverage in 2013 were as follows:
Division I (Dailies over 16,000 circulation): First place, Charleston Daily Mail; second place, The Charleston Gazette; and third place, The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington.
Division II (Dailies 16,000 and under): First place, The Inter-Mountain, Elkins; second place, Times West Virginian, Fairmont; and third place, The Exponent Telegram, Clarksburg.
Division III (Weeklies over 4,000): First place, Hampshire Review, Romney; second place, The Times Record, Spencer; third place, Spirit of Jefferson, Charles Town.
Division IV (Weeklies 4,000 and under): First place, The Record Delta, Buckhannon; second-place, The Princeton Times; third-place, The Shepherdstown Chronicle.
