Top Awards in Nevada Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for 1999

General Excellence:

First Place: Class I (daily newspapers with circulation of 15,000 or more)--Reno Gazette-Journal.

Judges' comments: "The strongest overall news package, and strongest section-by-section, front to back. Generally well edited, but short on enterprise reporting. Strength is in the breadth of the daily local news report. Very good graphics that add information and understanding."

First Place: Class II (daily newspapers with circulation of less than 15,000)--Tahoe Daily Tribune.

Judges' comments: "A clear victor in this category, with superior local news in both quantity and quality. The paper is well-designed and includes the smart use of color. Advertisers benefit from strong design."

First Place: Class III (weekly newspapers with circulation of 5,000 or more)-- The (Gardnerville) Record-Courier.

Judges' comments: "Impressive overall package. Sophisticated design. Good use of color, commitment to enterprise stories with turn-of-the-century feature. High quality photos."

First Place: Class IV (weekly newspapers with circulation of less than 5,000)--Fernley Leader-Dayton Courier.

Judges' comments: "Lots of local coverage, well-delineated news, features and sports sections. We like the "My Two Cents" column. Good use of photos."

Second Place: Class II--The Humboldt Sun (Winnemucca); Class III--Las Vegas Business Press; Class IV--Battle Mountain Bugle.

Third Place: Class II--Daily Sparks Tribune; Class III--North Lake Tahoe Bonanza; Class IV--Mason Valley News.

Outstanding Journalist--Daily Newspapers: Kevin Iole, Las Vegas Review-Journal sportswriter. Judges' comments: "Iole's range and volume of work product are impressive. He's equally adept at writing deadline stories, game coverage and longer features--all showing an easy, readable style and depth of understanding that readers appreciate.

Story of the Year--Faith Bremner, Reno Gazette-Journal. "Lizards for Sale." Judges' comments: "Remarkable job at making a potentially dull topic come alive and be relevant for readers. Good writing and reportage, as well as breadth of coverage in a series that appears to have produced results. Good identification of important perspectives and blending of them."

Photo of the Year--Jeff Scheid, Las Vegas Review-Journal. "Murder One" package of photos. Judges' comments: "As a package, this series of photos stands head and shoulders above any other photographer's efforts among this year's entries. Almost every photo is an award winner on its own, and there are no weak ones. Bravo--amazing work."

Editorial of the Year--Jerry Thull, Daily Sparks Tribune. "Royal Decree." Judges' comments: "Sarcasm is difficult to pull off in an editorial, and Thull does a masterful job. The reader is informed, entertained and outraged all at once. Very persuasive and effective."

Ad of the Year--Janine Adcock and Betty Barsamian, Tahoe Daily Tribune. "Dart Liquor" ad. Judges' comments: "A strong ad that compels attention. It stops the eye and has strong color."

Journalist of Merit

Class I: Ben Grove, Las Vegas Sun. Judges' comments: "Grove shows a tremendous surprise in finding and breaking stories that are a step beyond public meetings. He finds fairly mundane subjects....and brings interesting facts and useful information to the reader. His skill is also evident in writing a tight story with relevant quotes and info."

Class II: Andy Bourelle, Tahoe Daily Tribune. Judges' comments: "Impressive range of work. Good writing, solid reporting and creative approach to covering complex stories."

Class III: Sharon Gerrie, Las Vegas Business Press. Judges' comments: "Quality of writing is excellent; leads capture interest. From the highly detailed business story to the chuckle-inducing column, Ms. Gerrie excels."

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