Argus Leader lands 8 awards in 2022 Better Newspaper Contest
The staff of South Dakota's largest newpaper walked away with eight awards from this year's annual South Dakota Newspaper Association convention as part of the the 2022 SDNA Better Newspapers Contest last weekend.
All awards for the contest, announced Friday, were judged by members of the Minnesota Newspaper Association.
Each of those awards highlighted the Argus Leader's ability to capture the humanity of a continuously-growing city, and the ability of our journalists to hold power to account.
The recognitions included the following:
The Argus Leader staff won second place for best newspaper website.
Dominik Dausch won first place in feature writing for his profile about Earl, a TikTok-famous donkey who weathered the storm as a derecho rolled through Dell Rapids.
More: Earl, a TikTok-famous donkey, weathers storm as a derecho rolls through Dell Rapids
"Not your typical post-storm coverage," judges said of Dausch's story. "Artfully told and sure to make every reader care about 'a frickin' donkey.' Excellent integration of photos and video."
Dausch also earned first place for having the best lede, or first sentence, to a story last year. The story involved "corn sweats" and August humidity.
More: South Dakota 'corn sweats' contribute to August humidity
"What an opening line," the judges wrote. "I doubt anyone could ignore this article after reading the first sentence."
Michael McCleary, a former Argus Leader sports reporter, earned second place for best sports reporting for his work to highlight how the Winner football team strove to new heights after a third-straight South Dakota state title win.
"The details set this story apart from other quality features," judges wrote about McCleary's work to illustrate Winner's success. "The nearly-ripped-off ear, the size of the tiny weight room (and sneaking into it), the Pepsi-driver-turned-mayor — they all add up to a great story. Nice job finding sources from all throughout the run of success."
He also won second place for best lede for his introduction to Jefferson High School's football team, Sioux Falls' youngest program, as they won an 11AAA state title in their second year of competition.
More: Jefferson, Sioux Falls' youngest program, wins 11AAA state title in 2nd year, 48-21, over Harrisburg
Erin Woodiel, a former visual journalist for the Argus Leader, took second place in the best feature profile category for her work to capture a South Dakota teen's efforts and struggles to begin an early career in falconry.
Judges said her work "paints an engaging picture not only of the sport and art of falconry, but also the social complexities of being a teenage girl in 2022."
More: South Dakota teen finds her calling with falconry: 'The feeling is indescribable'
She also earned second place for her photo series on the impeachment of former South Dakota attorney general Jason Ravnsborg.
"You really get a feel for the back-and-forth aspect of the debate as you look through these photos," judges wrote. "(The) photographer really hustled to give readers a look at this proceeding through many different angles and viewpoints."
Matt Zimmer, who left the Argus Leader in early 2023 after 18 years of service at the newspaper, earned first place for best sports reporting for his rememberance of Chad Garrow as much more than a Brandon Valley High School football coach.
"Such a wonderfully written story about a respected coach," judges wrote. "It made me wish the story kept going so I could keep learning more about Chad Garrow and hearing the praise from everyone around him. The details — his car's name, his favorite music, his love of grilling — provide such an incredible look into Garrow's life."
More: Zimmer: Chad Garrow remembered as much more than a Brandon Valley High School football coach
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Argus Leader lands 8 awards in 2022 Better Newspaper Contest
