Globe earns 24 awards in Minnesota's Better Newspaper Contest

Jan. 31—BROOKLYN PARK — The Globe received 24 awards in the Minnesota Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest Thursday, during the association's 156th annual convention in Brooklyn Park.

This is a record-setting number of awards received by the local newspaper. The awards were based on content produced by Globe staff from Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022.

"Being recognized among our peers is a great accomplishment," Globe Publisher Joni Harms said. "I am extremely proud of this group that works hard every day to put out a quality product for our community. I especially loved one of the judge's comments referring to our reporting as hyper-local.

"Our staff is in tune with the community, and being recognized for our efforts is a well-deserved bonus," she added.

Thursday night's awards banquet highlighted the Minnesota Newspaper Association's two-day convention at the Marriott Minneapolis Northwest. The event included educational workshops, a trade show and convention speakers, including Gov. Tim Walz, Dave St. Peter and Dan Gladden of the Minnesota Twins, and Boyd Huppert, KARE-11 TV's man behind "The Land of 10,000 Stories." U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar also appeared via pre-recorded video.

Newspaper industry peers from the Kansas Press Association judged the 3,453 contest entries submitted from 132 Minnesota newspapers. Following is the list of awards presented to The Globe, which competed primarily among weeklies in the circulation class of 3,001 to 7,000, unless otherwise noted.

First Place

* General Reporting. Judge's comment: "Great job! Hyper-local reporting put in an eye-pleasing design put this entry over the top."

* Advertising Excellence. Judge's comment: "Good use of space with advertising. Eye-catching ads."

* David Pyle New Journalist of the Year (weeklies 3,001 and greater), Emma McNamee. Judge's comment: "Diverse skills, vulnerable column writer, great unbiased writing, photography accompanies stories seamlessly."

* Press Photographer's Portfolio, Tim Middagh. Judge's comment: "Nice work; you capture the moment in your sports."

* Best Use of Multimedia, a collaborative project by Roberta Fultz, Erick Rivera, Tim Middagh, Emma McNamee and Kari Lucin for "See you at the Skate Park." Judge's comment: "The definition of multimedia."

* Best Use of Social Media, a collaborative project by Roberta Fultz, Erick Rivera, Tim Middagh, Emma McNamee and Kari Lucin for "See you at the Skate Park." Judge's comment: "Great community-focused effort!"

* Local Breaking News Coverage, Kari Lucin and Julie Buntjer, "Fight delays Learning Center graduation ceremony." Judge's comment: "Very well written piece while still staying neutral in their views."

* Institutional Advertisement, Alisha Clausen and designers Chris Johnson and Greg Beltz for "Smith Trucking, celebrating 75 years."

* Sports Photo, Tim Middagh, Minnesota West Bluejays basketball player CJ Ligon goes in for a layup against Minnesota State Fergus Falls Spartans' Langston Davis. Judge's comment: "I love this action shot. This is one of the best photos I've seen of basketball. It is crisp and everything is in focus."

* Self-promotion/House Ad, Roberta Fultz and designer Tasha Kenyon, "The Globe App." Judge's comment: "Very clear and crisp. Publication information is very clearly displayed."

Second Place

* Social Issues Story, Kari Lucin, "COVID put stress on District 518 students." Judge's comment: "Revealing dive into a school district's information about COVID impacts on students. Offers a local picture that is probably universal across the country."

* Local Breaking News Coverage, Julie Buntjer, "Packin' a punch," about a summer storm that snapped power poles and resulted in a fatality on Interstate 90.

* Sports Story, Scott Mansch, "It takes a special person to be a ref." Judge's comment: "A great story to highlight a problem many are having across the nation."

* Self-promotion/House Ad, Roberta Fultz and designers Brenda Lawrence and Josie Gereszek for "March Mania." Judge's comment: "Very bright and draws attention."

* Use of Color in Advertising, Roberta Fultz and designer Rebekah Ness for "Worthington Liquor Store: FitVine." Judge's comment: "I like that the background colors blend so well with the colors in the bottles."

* Best Advertisement, Roberta Fultz and designer Alex Dietz for "Boudoir by Hayley."

* Best Use of Video (circulation 1,501 to 7,000), Tim Middagh and Doug Wolter for "The Drill: Pham and Newyouman Gora." Judge's comment: "Good use of B-roll. Great personality profile."

Third Place

* Best Magazine, Worthington Area Community & Visitors Guide.

* Hard News, Julie Buntjer, "Hearing a call for help," about a hunting accident in rural Worthington.

* Best Advertisement, Roberta Fultz and designer Luanna Lake for "Chuck Foreman visits."

* Best Institutional Advertisement, Alisha Clausen and designer Russell Zilke for "Farm to Table."

* Self-promotion/House Ad, Roberta Fultz and designer Chris Johnson for "The Globe: 150 years." Judge's comment: "Very crisp and clear and simple. Not too busy."

* Use of Color in Advertising, Roberta Fultz and Alex Dietz for "The Daily Apple: Think Spring." Judge's comment: "The color is an obvious choice but when a color is obvious, it is easy to overdo it — you did this one well."

* Best Use of Video (circulation 1,501 to 7,000), Tim Middagh and Doug Wolter for "The Drill: Micah Schaap." Judge's comment: "Good use of B-roll. Great personality profile."