STAFF REPORT
Despite all the doom and gloom about the demise of the printed word, the Hays Free Press has some good news. Last weekend, the Texas Press Association hosted the annual Texas Better Newspaper Contest and the Hays Free Press and its writers achieved a trifecta of first place awards, a pair of thirds and a fourth place to bring up the end.
The contest, featuring 176 newspapers submitting 1,784 entries, is broken down into 10 divisions in which newspapers compete against papers of similar circulation. The Hays Free Press is considered a “Large Weekly” and joined 23 other Texas newspapers in that division.
Reporter Sean Kimmons and former editor Jennifer Biundo scored the first place award in Feature Writing. Kimmon’s with “Cell Dogs”, his story on the collaboration between PAWS Animal Shelter and the Kyle Correctional Center utilizing inmates in socializing strays to enhance their adoptability. Biundo with “The Milligan Trio”, her feature article on a Kyle family’s hectic life with newborn triplets.
In a nod to the future, the Hays Free Press website, haysfreepress.com, also took first place, for easy navigation, layout and photo use.
To round out the first place honors, the Hays Free Press editorial board took the gold for “Your Right to Write”, an editorial reiterating their commitment to free speech and acceptance of varying opinions, and “Open the Park, Please” imploring the county to unlock the gates to 5-Mile Dam once and for all.
In the News Writing category, Biundo’s lead story on Buda’s Chatleff manufacturing plant closure and Kimmon’s story on the death of a child in a local home daycare took a third place award.
In Sports Coverage, the Hays Free Press took third place for the “very clean and orderly appearance” of the sports pages and in Column Writing, Brenda Stewart was awarded fourth place for her columns “Because He’s Black” and “A Time Before War”.
