Four first-place awards for American Press, 18 in total
Published 8:46 pm Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Staff reports
BATON ROUGE — The American Press won 18 news and advertising awards at the Louisiana Press Association’s 2020 Better Newspaper Competition, including first-place finishes for writing, page design and advertising.
Retired staff writer Lisa Addison won two first-place honors for writing. In the features category, she took top honors for her story on Chris Dobbs, who survived a stroke during the pandemic. In the column category, she was recognized for writing about her brother-in-law’s tireless efforts to aid their friends and family after Hurricane Laura.
Executive editor Crystal Stevenson won first place in page design for her front page layout “Perfection” after LSU’s Championship win.
Graphic designer Earl Vital placed first and third in multiple advertiser page design. The American Press actually swept this category. Vital’s first-place honor was for his “Saluting our Veterans” Veterans Day package. He received third for designing the “Remembering Mom” Mother’s Day package. Graphic designer Maria Torres received second in the same category for her “Remembering Dad” Father’s Day package.
Photographer Rick Hickman earned two third-place finishes in feature photo and best photo package. His winning feature photo was for shops opening after Hurricane Laura and best photo package was for the funeral of a K9 who died from heat stroke after successfully chasing a suspect.
Design editor Donna Price received second and page designer Nick Walsh third in the headline category. Price’s winning entry was “Hemp, Hemp, Hooray” while Walsh’s was “Phillies Fever: Don’t Catch It.”
Sports editor Scooter Hobbs took second in the column category for his piece on mayonnaise’s role in the condiment hierarchy.
Staff writer John Guidroz placed third in news reporting for his piece on a family lucky to be alive after being exposed to carbon monoxide.
Retired editor Jim Beam placed third in editorial for encouraging residents to stay home during the pandemic.
Stevenson and sports writer Rodrick Anderson placed third in website design.
American Press also placed second and third in the special section categories and second for general excellence.
The American Press competes in Division I against The Advocate in Baton Rouge, The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, Daily Advertiser in Lafayette and Daily Courier in Houma.
