Stowe Reporter best paper its size in New England

The competition, sponsored by the New England Newspaper and Press Association, covered entries from 2014 and 2015 and involves more than 3,000 entries from nearly 600 newspapers in four circulation categories — large dailies, large weeklies, small dailies and small weeklies.

Said the judges who evaluated the Stowe Reporter: “Excellent writing and/or editing on every page for news and features. Opinion and op-ed pages are filled with editorial on important local topics with a good share of letters from readers. … Eye-grabbing photos. This is a solid newspaper covering a major resort town and the immediate area with real news (and is not a chamber mouthpiece).”

In addition, staff members for the Reporter won first places in a number of news and advertising categories; judges’ comments are included.

• Katerina Pittinaro, for best ad designer among weekly newspapers. “Consistent, upscale designs with great use of photos and type.”

• The Stowe Reporter advertising and production staffs, for an advertiser campaign for Well Heeled: “Well Heeled ads are stylish, with great typography and gorgeous images.”

• Tommy Gardner, first place for transportation reporting. “Another highly readable and educational take on something we all depend upon and take for granted. Gardner covers everything you ever wanted or needed to know about road salt and keeps it engaging from top to bottom.” (Nature's road clearer, Jan. 8, 2015)

• Hannah Marshall, assistant editor, and Kim Whalen, former production manager, first place for a food page or section, for the fall Leaf Peeper section about food and drink. “The Tastes of Autumn is chock-full of information for the fall lover in Vermont and surrounding areas. I especially liked the article on the Trapp Family Lodge. It was extremely interesting that the hotel grows its own food and makes its own drink. The whole section is layered with wonderful information on things to do and places to go.” (The tastes of autumn, Oct. 2, 2014)

• Greg Popa, editor and publisher of the Stowe Guide and Magazine, first place for niche publication and the sixth consecutive year the magazine has won the award. “Beautifully designed guide for visitors and residents alike. Chock-full of advertising over 200 pages. Striking photography throughout — this offers a lot of value for readers. No wonder it is setting page-count as well as revenue records!”

• The Stowe Reporter staff, first place for special sports section. “Special kudos go out to the Stowe Reporter and its Ride special section, produced in cooperation with the Stowe Mountain Bike Club. This is a perfect example of a newspaper thinking out of the box, creating an in-depth special tabloid focused on a popular recreational sport that spans all ages. The editorial direction isn’t about sports performance, but rather providing helpful information for enjoying the sport. Photography and reproduction are solid. Advertising support was particularly strong, with nine pages of support in a 20-page tab.” (RIDE 2015)

• Glenn Callahan, first place for feature photo — a disembodied hand reaching around the face of the clock on Stowe Community Church to replace the clock’s hands. “Glenn, strong image!” (Holding the hands of time, April 9, 2015)

Awards for second and third place:

Production staff, second place, local color display ad.

Production staff, second place, local black-and-white display ad.

Tom Kearney, second place, arts and entertainment reporting. (The Gathering: Music and mentoring, Nov. 20, 2014)

Advertising and production staff, third place, advertiser campaign.

Tommy Gardner, third place, health reporting. (Rescue, fire agencies need more help, July 30, 2015)

Kimberly Whalen, overall design and presentation of a niche product.