Paper racks up 6 top 10s in national contest
It’s the most honors Tribune has won in 1 year at APSE
The Lewiston Tribune recently earned six awards in the 2021 Associated Press Sports Editors national contest.
The Tribune earned top 10 honors in the daily, Sunday and special section categories in Division C, the third-largest newspaper circulation classification.
The newspaper also was honored with a writing award, as Dale Grummert earned a top 10 for his commentary work on the Washington State football beat.
Also, the Tribune earned top 10 honors in sports photography game coverage by August Frank and Zach Wilkinson.
“We’ve been blessed to have earned so many awards on a national level,” sports editor Donn Walden said. “It is a tribute to all of the hard-working people we have on our staff. I’m truly humbled and blessed to be working with so many dedicated journalists despite all of the obstacles we have been through since the start of the pandemic.”
This year was the first year the organization announced an effort to reward digital work. APSE announced in December the definitions of a Triple Crown and Grand Slam for this year’s contest were changing, and the special sections newspaper category was being eliminated.
To win a Triple Crown this year, top 10 finishes were required in daily or Sunday sections, in digital (website) and in the long feature writing category. To win a Grand Slam, a Triple Crown winner was required to also have a top 10 finish in projects.
In the past, a Grand Slam required top 10 finishes in all four of the print/website categories (daily, Sunday and special sections and digital), and a Triple Crown required top 10 finishes in three of the four.
“Despite the new rules, we still, and forever, will call this a Triple Crown in my book,” Walden said.
The Tribune previously has won APSE awards, but according to research, it’s been many years since the newspaper was honored with so many awards at the national level.
The contest, which is judged each year by sports editors and journalists from around the nation, recognized work that was published in 2021. The newspaper will be honored at the annual summer conference, which takes place June 15-18 in Indianapolis.
“Us readers — that’s you and me — are so fortunate to have such a dedicated and talented sports, and photo, staff,” Tribune editor and publisher Nathan Alford said. “They hustle as much, or more, than the athletes they cover. And they deserve the recognition. We, frankly, don’t say it enough ... Well done, Donn, and staff.”
