Clarion Ledger earns awards in Mississippi Press Association Better Newspapers Contest

The Clarion Ledger won several top awards during the Mississippi Press Association’s Better Newspapers Contest and 157th Annual Meeting held over the weekend at Sheraton Flowood the Refuge Hotel & Conference Center.

Top honors taken by Clarion Ledger staff include Photo of the Year, the Dan Phillips Award for Freedom of Information and the Community Service Award.

The Freedom of Information Award and the Community Service Award were for the Clarion Ledger's exhaustive coverage of last year's Jackson Water Crisis. The newspaper also won the Best of Gannett Award for Public Service earlier this year in the newspaper's category for coverage of the water crisis.

"The freedom of information and community service awards demonstrate our ability at a high level to both serve the reader and hold the public accountable," said Clarion Ledger Executive Editor Mark M. Konradi. "We are honored to be recognized for our work against some outstanding competition in Mississippi and even more excited about the work we have yet to publish."

Along with top Mississippi Press Association awards mentioned above that were open to all multi-day publications in Mississippi, the Clarion Ledger staff also garnered several other awards, including second-place General Excellence in the top category for newspapers in the state.

Barbara Gauntt of the Clarion Ledger was awarded Photo of the Year for her feature photograph of former Jackson State University football player Shedeur Sanders.

The Clarion Ledger newsroom staff won the Dan Phillips Award for Freedom of Information for its investigative coverage of the municipal water crisis in Jackson.

Coverage explained: How the Clarion Ledger covered the Jackson Water Crisis

"The Clarion Ledger team's exhaustive research into decades of negative circumstances that led to the utter failure of the Jackson Mississippi public water system provides citizens with an eye-opening look at the crisis," judges said.

The Clarion Ledger also won the Community Service Award for Multi-Day publications for its coverage of the crisis.

"We are so proud of all winners in the contest," said MPA President Stephanie Patton, editor and publisher of The Leland Progress. "Recognition of their hard work honors the impact they make in the communities they serve."

Mississippi Press Association Better Newspaper Media Contest Awards for work in 2022 by USA TODAY Network on Scribd

Below is a rundown of awards garnered by the Clarion Ledger staff:

Spot News Story

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger Ross Reily for Mike Leach suffers heart attack, situation dire for Mississippi State football coach Had the who, what, where and when within the first two graphs. Good flow, easy to follow

Bill Minor Prize for Investigative Reporting

• 3rd Place Clarion Ledger for Jackson water crisis flows from a century of poverty, neglect and racism

Sports News Story

• 2nd Place Clarion Ledger Stefan Krajisnik and Langston Newsome for Mike Leach, Mississippi State football’s innovative and influential coach, dies at 61

Sports Column

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger J.T. Keith Deion Sanders for Jackson State football learned valuable ‘life lessons’ in one week This is a great column, full of heart

• 2nd Place Clarion Ledger J.T. Keith for For Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders, success starts in the uncommon hours

General News Photo

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger Hannah Mattix for Convicted Mississippi murderer, rapist Thomas ‘Eddie’ Loden executed by lethal injection. Judges said of the work, “This moving photo captures the beauty in this tragic moment of anti-death penalty activists praying to stop an execution that will not be stopped. One can see the pure emotion on their faces nicely framed by the few light sources on the edge of the photograph.”

Sports Feature Photo

• 1st Place and MPA Photo of the Year Clarion Ledger Barbara Gauntt for Shedeur Sanders helmet reflection of JSU crowd. Judges said of the photograph, “This is a unique view! The photo is crisp and interesting. Kudos to the photographer for seeing and capturing this.”

Sports Action Photo

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger Hannah Mattix for JSU player diving for tackle. Judges said, “Great timing delivers a winning shot.”

• 2nd Place Clarion Ledger Barbara Gauntt for Clinton’s Za’Kariyea Hamilton and Brandon’s Isaiah Morey battle for possession.

Front Page All Multi-Day Publications

• 2nd Place Clarion Ledger

Editorial Page All Multi-Day Publications

• 3rd Place Clarion Ledger

Sports Page All Multi-Day Publications

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger. Judges said of the Sports Page, “Very nice sports sections! Excellent use of art and graphics. Well organized and balanced. Good sports coverage and variety of sports. Nice, clean pages with well-defined separation for each component. Great job!”

Lifestyles Section Page

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger. Judges said of the Lufestyles Page, “Excellent use of art, graphics and color. Very eye-appealing designs. Clean and well organized.”

Special Section

• 3rd Place Clarion Ledger. Judges said, “Perfect Ending.”

Lede

• 2nd Place Clarion Ledger Wicker Perlis for “Activists have spent their lives outside Mississippi’s last abortion clinic, what’s next?”

Video All Publications

• Honorable Mention Clarion Ledger Barbara Gauntt and Hannah Mattix Water for water testing video

Dan Phillips Freedom of Information Award, All publications

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger for Jackson water crisis flows from a century of poverty, neglect and racism. Judges said, “The Clarion Ledger team’s exhaustive research into decades of negative circumstances that led to the utter failure of the Jackson Mississippi public water system provides citizens with an eye-opening look at the crisis.”

Community Service Award, All Publications

• 1st Place Clarion Ledger Community Service award entry, Jackson water crisis flows from a century of poverty, neglect and racism. Judges said, “Excellent work!”

General Excellence Class A

• 2nd Place Clarion Ledger

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Clarion Ledger press awards contest Mississippi Press Association