Herald-Mail staffers earn statewide awards for work in 2021
The news and advertising staffs of The Herald-Mail took home several first-place awards and a Best in Show during the 2021 Maryland, Delaware and District of Columbia Press Association contest Friday.
The association, which represents newspapers and news websites across the region, gives awards each year focused on editorial, design and revenue, plus special awards for standout personnel, Freedom of Information coverage and Courage in Journalism, according to its website.
The Herald-Mail competes in Division B, which includes other organizations such as The Frederick News-Post and the Annapolis Capital-Gazette.
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Award winners include:
Sherry Greenfield — First place and Best in Show in the General News Story category for "Her son took his own life. Now a Hagerstown mom opens up about teen suicide." One Best in Show is selected from all of the first-place winners from each division in a category.
Tamela Baker and Alexis Fitzpatrick — First place in the Investigative Reporting category for a package of stories looking at a local private school's handling of accusations of abuse.
Tamela Baker — First place in the State Government category for "Bid for Western Maryland to join West Virginia unlikely to happen, could hurt region."
Sherry Greenfield — First place in the Education Reporting category for "Seventh-grader has never had a Black teacher in Washington County schools, and she feels the disconnect."
Tim Rowland — First place in the Local Column: Critical Thinking category for "On a July day in Martinsburg, the national labor movement was born."
Dawn Friedman, Lisa Prejean, Michelle Horton, Tricia Johnson, Kathy Gelwicks — First place in the New Business Concept/Wildcard category for "Thrive: A Guide to Your Health and Wellness."
The Herald-Mail — Second place for Website of General Excellence.
"The news stories honored by MDDC were among some of the most impactful reporting done by Herald-Mail Media in 2021," said the newspaper's executive editor, Jake Womer. "Knowing the personal commitments of Sherry, Tamela and Alexis to listening to people who seemingly had not been heard before makes a couple of these stories all the more powerful.
"I'm thrilled to see their work, Tim Rowland's commentary and the advertising team's new business concept recognized by the press association. It's all well-deserved."
The contest, governed by the association’s editorial and advertising committees, admitted more than 1,500 entries from 48 member publications among 85 categories, according to a news release from the association. These entries were judged by news media professionals with the Missouri Press Association.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Herald-Mail Media staff took home MDDC awards for 2021
