The Daily Hampshire Gazette and its sister papers — the Valley Advocate and The Recorder — hauled in nearly 20 awards during the New England Better Newspaper Competition results announced Saturday.
In eight of the awards, the Pioneer Valley journalists won top honors in the competition among news outlets of similar size. The Gazette’s News in Education and Events staffs also took two first-place honors for promotional efforts.
“These journalism awards are a result of talent, hard work, and our company’s commitment to quality, local news and photography,” said Mike Rifanburg, publisher of the three papers and their related specialty publications and websites. “I am extremely proud of our staff’s achievements.”
Jeffrey Good, executive editor of the papers, added: “At a time when people worry about ‘fake news,’ these awards remind us that the Pioneer Valley has more than its share of real news stories produced by people who live here and care deeply about this community.”
In the daily paper arts and entertainment category, Gazette staff writer Steve Pfarrer won top honors for work the judges said showed him doing “his homework, proving it with lots of interesting details.” Former Gazette Editor Larry Parnass won first place in history reporting for a series he wrote on one family’s ongoing efforts to learn how their son died in the Korean War. Freelancer Phoebe Helander also won first place for a Gazette photo illustration on a page designed by Lucy Pickett.
“These illustrations are powerful and compelling, to go along with a comprehensive report,” the judges wrote. “They are given good size and designed well into the page. A very interesting and eye-catching approach.”
Hunter Styles, arts editor for the Valley Advocate, won first place in arts and entertainment reporting for weekly newspapers. Judges praised Styles for a story that detailed “the frenetic and creative world” of a pop-up restaurant.
“The crisp writing and telling detail combine for an engaging journey,” they wrote.
Amanda Drane, now a Gazette reporter, won first place in the social issues feature category for a Valley Advocate story she wrote last year about the obscure record of the Community Police Hearings Board in Springfield. “Excellent,” judges wrote. “Well-written and reported survey of Springfield’s police review board. Nice tie-in to national issues.”
For The Recorder, Lisa Spear won first place in the human interest category for a story she wrote about The Eventide Singers, a group that sings to people on their deathbeds. Spear is now a Gazette features writer.
“‘Final lullaby’ is a fascinating story about bringing comfort to the dying through singing — a story that, in the end, defines what a newspaper human interest story should be,” the judges wrote.
Veteran Recorder staff writer Richie Davis won first place for business and economic reporting for a series on the growing yogurt industry.
Top honors also went to former Greenfield Recorder reporter Tom Relihan for education reporting in advance of the vote on lifting the charter school cap. “Thorough coverage of a controversial issue,” the judges wrote.
In promotions categories, the Gazette also won top honors for the News in Education program led by Laurel Gardner and community events organized by Laura Dintino.
Writers and photographers also landed numerous runner-up awards in journalism categories. Dan Crowley, managing editor of the Gazette, won second place in government reporting for his work covering lost jobs and open meeting and bidding law violations under new management at the Northampton Housing Authority.
“The series was probably one of the least predictable or most surprising narratives of the contest,” the judges wrote.
Gazette sports writer Matt Vautour won second place in the sports feature category for a piece about Northampton lacrosse player Jimmy Durfer’s late-game score, made with his father, who was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s Disease in the crowd. “A poignant profile of a family and its dedication to lacrosse and each other,” the judges wrote.
In the weekly social issues category, Styles won second place for a story about the human faces behind low wages and economic issues.
Carol Lollis, photo editor at the Gazette, won second place prizes in two categories: portrait photo and spot news photo. Gazette photographer Jerrey Roberts won a third-place prize in the pictorial photo category.
Chris Harris of the Recorder won third place for special section work and a “solid effort to pursue the parent demographic.” Honorable mentions went to Lollis and Parnass for feature photo and editorial writing, respectively.
The competition in this year’s competition was stiff; the New England Newspaper and Press Association said it had received more than 3,000 entries from organizations in the six New England states.
“As gratifying as such awards are,” Good added, “the real prize is when, every day, people in our community entrust us with their stories.”