| Sun Advocate publisher Ken Larson and members of the newspaper’s editorial, advertising, circulation and production departments review the winning entries submitted in the Utah Press Association contest. The Carbon County newspaper captured several first, second and third place honors in the statewide contest. The Sun Advocate dominated the competition and accumulated the points to earn the 2004 event’s general excellence award. |
Not a year goes by without the Sun Advocate winning at least a few awards for performance from the Utah Press Association. But 2004 represents a special year.
In addition to placing in the top three newspapers in the state in 16 out of 22 categories, the Sun Advocate won the Kirby Kirkman Award for General Excellence for the seventh time since the statewide recognition was created in 1951.
“This is a real honor and is a tribute to our hard-working and creative staff,” pointed out Sun Advocate publisher Ken Larson.
The general excellence award is presented to one newspaper competing in each of the statewide contest’s four categories.
The Sun Advocate competed in category two, which consists of weekly and bi-weekly newspapers operating at locations across the state with circulations between 2,501 and 5,999.
The previous years the Sun Advocate captured the top award were 1954, 1956, 1979, 1982, 1994 and 2000.
Except for the daily newspapers competing in group four, the general excellence award is not judged separately. Instead, the honor is awarded on accumulated points from the placement in the individual categories that the paper enters.
Category two had 13 newspapers from locations across Utah competing for the statewide recognitition.
The Sun Advocate earned several first place awards to achieve the newspaper’s overall dominance at the Utah Press Association competition.
The first place awards garnered by the Sun Advocate included:
•The best sports column.
•The best lifestyle pages for the newspaper’s Focus section.
•The best classified pages.
•The best overall front page design.
•The best special section of the year, with the 2003 Castle Country Recreation and Vacation Guide.
The Carbon County newspaper also placed second in several categories, including the best breaking news story, the best editor’s column, the best feature photograph, the best sports page, the best run-of-press ads and ad campaign along with the best in-house promotion.
In addition, the Sun Advocate achieved third place for the best general news story, the best feature story, the best news photograph and the best sports photograph.
The awards were presented to Larson during the Utah Press Association’s 2004 convention in Moab last weekend.
“I was almost embarrassed,” commented Larson. “I would get up to accept one award and, before I could get back to my seat, they would call me up again.”
Larson’s situation was compounded by the fact that he is also the publisher of the Emery County Progress.
The Progress won nine awards as a category one newspaper with a circulation of 2,500 or less. The newspaper earned four first place awards, two seconds and three thirds.