An election year when national media outlets are questioned for objectivity reinforces the importance of locally owned media that bring community news to readers who are most affected in their cities and counties.
Awards were presented during the Georgia Press Association convention in Jekyll Island over the weekend that highlight those local news efforts compared to other community newspapers across the state. This year, there were 509 awards presented to 78 newspapers. Nearly 2,300 entries were made.
With the final votes tallied, The Jones County News earned a third-place finish for general excellence, which is calculated based on both editorial and advertising contests.
Managing Editor Josh Lurie earned a third-place award for Layout and Design to begin the list of accolades.
Brad Harrison placed second in sports section or pages. The News placed first in Lifestyle Coverage, with credit going to editor Debbie Lurie-Smith.
Lurie earned a third-place award for headline writing, while Lurie-Smith finished second statewide for the division in Local News Coverage. Brandy Round placed first in photo essay for The News.
Also in the Smith Communications family of newspapers and magazines, Lake Oconee News finished third in general excellence in its division. The Baldwin Bulletin earned secondplace honors for general excellence.
Those three newspapers and The Eatonton Messenger are owned by Smith Communications Inc., led by President and CEO A. Mark Smith Sr.
“I am proud of our staff winning 47 top awards in the Georgia Press Association Better Newspaper Contest against some of the best newspapers in the country,” he said. “It is a tribute to our employees, our company and the communities we serve.”
The Lake Oconee News earned a first-place award for Layout and Design, with The Eatonton Messenger finishing second, both of which were attributed to Lurie.
Lance McCurley earned a third-place award for sports section or pages for The Baldwin Bulletin.
The staff of The Eatonton Messenger placed second for Lifestyle Coverage, with Lake Oconee News placing third.
The Bulletin editor Bailey McCully earned a first-place award for Lifestyle Coverage. The Lake Oconee News finished second in Local News Coverage under Lurie’s leadership.
McCully also placed third for Local News Coverage for The Bulletin.
Messenger editor Ian Tocher won a first-place award for photo essay, while McCully placed both first and second in the same category for The Bulletin.
Lake Oconee News reporter Maureen Stratton placed second in Enterprise Story, while Greenberry Moore swept first, second and third places for The Baldwin Bulletin.
Trey Norris of The Messenger placed third for Sports Coverage.
Lurie received another first-place award for Page One Design for Lake Oconee News, while also placing second for The Messenger and third for The Jones County News.
Lakelife Magazine contributor Hank Segars placed first for Magazine Story, with Lurie earning a second-place award for Magazine Cover Design, also for Lakelife.
Leigh Lofgren placed first in magazine photography for Lakelife, and contributor Michael S. Grace picked up a thirdplace award for Jones Living magazine. Lakelife editor Lynn Hobbs earned a thirdplace award for Magazine Business Feature.
Hobbs also earned firstplace honors for Breaking News Writing for The Messenger. She earned a second-place award in the same category for The Bulletin.
Tocher picked up a second-place finish for Business Writing, while Stratton placed third for Lake Oconee News.
Advertising awards
• Firstplace,healthcare, The Messenger, Putnam General Hospital
• Firstplace,healthcare, The Jones County News, Gray Family Health
• Secondplace,home furnishings and appliance, The Bulletin, Macon Bedroom & Mattress
• Secondplace,non-traditional, The Jones County News for the 2023 Jones County Community Guide
• Firstplace,special section, Lake Oconee News, Masters Preview
• Secondplace,special section, The Jones County News, JCHS football preview 2023
• Firstplace,classifieds, The Jones County News
• Secondplace,signature page, The Eatonton Messenger, Gators season congratulations
