WDN recognized for excellence, earns editorial awards

Published 1:11 pm Friday, September 20, 2024

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Members of the North Carolina Press Association were honored for excellence in news and advertising coverage during the 151st annual convention held in Raleigh held on Thursday, Sept. 19.

The Washington Daily News was named the third-place winner for Overall General Excellence in Division B. The Washington Daily News was named second in Overall General Excellence in 2022 and was named first place for Overall General Excellence in 2020. The newspaper earned first place for General Excellence for Websites in the 2020 contest. It also took the top NCPA award in 2016.

In addition to the overall recognition, the newspaper was presented with four individual awards in the editorial contest.

Reporter Holly Jackson earned first place in Education Reporting for “Emotions run high as Board of Education passes resolution 6-3, A political action committee mailer fills school board members with indignation.” She earned first place in News Feature for “Vehicle, human remains recovered from Jack’s Creek: discovery could provide answers to 41-year-old missing persons cold case.” Correspondent Clark Curtis earned second place in Feature Writing for “Ancestor helps to unravel the history and ghost lore of the Hyatt House.” Curtis won third place in Profile Feature for “Getting to know who you are and why you are here: The life story of Betty Randolph.” 

“We are honored to again be recognized as one of the top community newspapers in the state,” said publisher Ashley Vansant. “These awards are a testament to the hard work of the exceptional journalists, marketing professionals and customer service representatives on our team. It’s always nice to hold a place of distinction amongst our peers, but there is no greater reward than community support of our products and services.”

A list of categories and rules can be found at the North Carolina Press Association website. For a full list of winners, visit www.ncpress.com.