Republican tallies 12 awards in state press competition

     The Imperial Republican brought home 12 awards from the Nebraska Newspaper Publishers Association 2021 Better Newspaper Contest.
    The awards included statewide Feature Photo of the Year, headlined “I’m ready for my ride, grandpa,” taken by Diane Stamm that showed Greyson Oliver waving to Bob Grams.
     The awards were announced Saturday night during the 2022 press convention in Kearney.
    Along with Feature Photo of the Year, the Republican staff captured three firsts, seven seconds and a third place in the competition.
    Weekly newspapers competed in four different classes based on circulation.
    Stamm also took first in Class C feature photography with “Grabbing a snack,” which shows a flying hawk with a frog in its claws.
    First place also went to the staff for its 2021 beef tab, a group effort with its sister publications The Grant Tribune Sentinel and Holyoke Enterprise. Darci Rodriguez, Holyoke managing editor, handled the beef tab layout.
    Russ Pankonin, former co-publisher, took first for a computer graphic that ran with a story on 2020 precipitation.
Other awards
    The Republican received second place finishes for:
    Feature photo—Stamm for “I’m ready for my ride, grandpa.”        
    Best sports pages—Kim Large, Stamm, Jan Schultz and Pankonin.
    Editorial page—Staff.
    Headline writing—Staff.
    Front page design—Staff.
    Signature (sponsored) ad— Stamm for state track.
    Classified pages—Large.
    The newspaper’s lone third place award went to Large for an ad campaign design on Chase County Community Hospital  staff and visiting physicians.
    The Aurora News-Register, owned by Imperial native Kurt Johnson and wife Paula, won the overall C Class weekly print award for tallying the most points of all newspapers in that class.
    The Benkelman Post won News Photo of the Year for a fiery photograph taken by publisher Jason Fredrick during last year’s fire that threatened the community.
    Representing The Imperial Republican at the convention were Publisher Frank Perea and Stamm.
    Kevin Peterson, publisher of the Wayne Herald, was elected president of the Nebraska Press Association at the convention, succeeding Amy Johnson, publisher/editor of the Springview Herald, who will serve as immediate past-president.
     Other officers include Willis Mahannah, editor of the West Point News, as vice-president; and Rob Dump, co-publisher of the Hartington Cedar Co. News, as treasurer.
    Continuing terms as NPA board of directors are John Erickson, publisher of the Bridgeport News-Blade; and Cody Gerlach, publisher, Cambridge Valley Voice and the Curtis Frontier Co. Enterprise.
     New to the board for a three-year term is Patrick Ethridge, publisher of the Beatrice Daily Sun, Bloomfield/Creighton Knox Co. News and Stanton Register.
    NPA membership includes 156 weekly and daily newspapers. Founded in 1873, it will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2023.