‘Park Cities People’ Brings Home Big Prizes

Kate Mitchell, Chris McGathey, Dan Koller, Karen Mordecai, Christina Barany, and Claire St. Amant display our loot from the 2011 Texas Better Newspaper Contest.

Winners of the 2011 Texas Better Newspaper Contest were announced over the weekend, and your favorite community newspaper did quite well. Park Cities People came away from the Texas Press Association convention in Rockwall with four victories, two runners-up, and three fourth-place finishes. That added up to the coveted Sweepstakes Award, which goes to the paper in each division that earns the most points across all categories. This was Park Cities People‘s 15th Sweepstakes Award overall and our fifth in seven years.

Park Cities People competed in Division 6, the division for the state’s largest weeklies. Our four victories came in the following categories:

General Excellence, for the Sept. 24 and Oct. 15 editions, which included Chuck Cox’s story on Highland Park football coach Randy Allen breaking Frank Bevers’ school record for victories, Bradford Pearson’s account of a kindergartner escaping from Bradfield Elementary School, and Joanna England’s feature on the Night Owls program at Highland Park United Methodist Church.

Page Design, for a handful of pages designed by Kristen Sheffield, including a full-page feature advancing the Blondes vs. Brunettes charity football game at Highlander Stadium.

Feature Photo, for Christina Barany’s picture of a dramatic dip during the Dancing With the St. Mark’s Stars fundraiser and Chris McGathey’s shot of Highland Park gymnast Arielle Iola.

Texas Press Association Award - Feature Photo by Christina Barany
Texas Press Association Award - Sports Photo by Chris McGatheyTexas Press Association Award - Sports Photo by Chris McGathey
Texas Press Association Award - Sports Photo by Chris McGathey

Sports Photo, for Chris’ pictures of SMU football players emerging from a tunnel of smoke and dejected Highland Park volleyball players who had just been eliminated from the playoffs.

Park Cities People also finished in second place in two categories:

Feature Writing, for Georgia Fisher’s first-person account of training with the Highland Park crew team and Eric Nicholson’s story on the casual nature of the Park Cities Basketball League

Blue Moon Special Section, for a section dedicated to Highland Park High School’s Class of 2010.

The newspaper also finished fourth in:

News Writing, for Claire St. Amant’s examination of stunt motorcyclists on Central Expressway and the Dallas North Tollway and for a double-byline story (Josh Hixson and Dan Koller) on the alcohol-related events at a Palladium Ballroom concert attended by many Highland Park High School students.

News Photo, for Christina’s shot with Claire’s stunt motorcyclists story and Chris’ shot of a veteran’s family being handed a flag.

Headline Writing, for Dan’s “Meet Park Cities’ Most Arrested Man” and “Fourth Festivities on Fifth Were First-Rate” and Georgia’s “Pharmacy Drops ‘Scripts, Keeps Sips”

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