With pandemic-related postponements in the past, Texas’ regional newspaper organizations have once again begun meeting regularly and face-to-face.
At the convention of the Panhandle Press Association, March 25–26, 2022, in Hereford, participants were treated to a program by longtime Texas journalist Tumbleweed Smith and educational sessions sponsored by the Texas Center for Community Journalism at Tarleton State University.
In the association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest, in which The Caprock Courier and The Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon, along with flagship weekly The Texas Spur, compete in Division I (smaller weeklies) alongside newspapers such as The Canadian Record, The Clarendon Enterprise and The Quanah Tribune-Chief, The Texas Spur garnered ten awards, including 1st place entries for Best Headline Writing, Best Front Page Layout, and Best Special Section (Spur Homecoming 2021, “The Roaring Twenties”). Newspaper content from October 2020 through December 2021 was eligible, in a Covid-expanded time period.
The Caprock Courier earned four awards: 3rd place (tie) in Best Sports Writing, 3rd place in Best Front Page Layout, 2nd place in Best News Writing and 3rd place in Best Serious Columns.
The Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon earned two awards, 3rd place in Best Headline Writing, 3rd place in Best Feature Stories, with entries by Liz Adams and Barbara Anderson.
The Texas Spur also won 1st place in Best Headline Writing, 3rd place in Best Human Interest Photos, 3rd place (tie) in Best Sports Writing, 3rd place in Best Advertising Initiative, 3rd place in Best Spot News Photos, 2nd place in Best Humorous Columns, 3rd place in Best Society and Lifestyles and 2nd place in Best Editorials.
The West Texas Press Association’s annual convention, April 9–11 in Hamilton, was combined with programming by the North and East Texas Press Association and featured talks by Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Gerritt, Hood County News publisher Sam Houston and a panel of students from the Texas Center for Community Journalism.
WTPA’s annual contest covered content published in calendar year 2021. The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier competed in Division D against weeklies like The Springtown Epigraph and The Azle News.
In its division The Texas Spur won 1st place Sweepstakes for the greatest number of judging points scored in all categories, and took home two other 1st place awards: Editorial Writing, and Special Coverage (for its series on “Water Woes”).
The Caprock Courier won 2nd place in Sweepstakes in Division D and also garnered 1st place awards in Column Writing (Liz Adams, for “Back Stage”), Editorial Writing, Features, General Excellence, and Special Section (for “Briscoe County Celebration 2021”).
The Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon, which competed in Division C against weeklies like The Ozona Stockman, The Dublin Citizen and The Hamilton Herald-News, took 1st place honors in Column Writing (Liz Adams, for “Back Stage”) and Editorial Writing.
The Texas Spur also received 2nd place in Advertising Composition, 2nd place in Column Writing (Barbara Brannon for “Paragraphs & Pixels), 2nd place General Excellence, 2nd place in News Writing, 2nd place in Special Section and Honorable Mention in Features.
The Caprock Courier also received 2nd place in Sports and 3rd place for Advertising Composition and 3rd place for News Writing.
The Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon also received 2nd place honors for Advertising Composition, Features, News Writing, General Excellence, and Sweepstakes.
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