OCTN staff brings home 14 KPA awards

Ohio County Times-News staff members brought home a total of 14 awards including third place Weekly Class III General Excellence awards in both editorial and advertising at the Kentucky Press Association’s 2022 News and Advertising Excellence in Kentucky Newspapers contest in Lexington on Jan. 27.

The annual contest recognizes outstanding work by reporters, photographers and designers from the state’s professional and college newspapers. The contest was judged by the Oklahoma Press Association.

“We are humbled and honored to receive so many awards. It really helps validate your work when journalists and designers from other states see value in what you are producing,” said Editor Dana Brantley. “It is truly a team effort each and every week and this staff works really hard to produce quality work. I am proud to be a part of such a great team.”

Ad Designer Sonja Davis, participating in her first advertising contest, was awarded three first-place and two-second place awards. In the Best Use of Color category, she picked up both first and second-place with two different entries. She was also awarded first-place in the Professional Services category and Multiple Advertiser/“Sig” Page and earned another second place in the Entertainment/Dining category.

“Excellent use of color and tying the look and feel of the color use to the ad,” the judge commented on Davis’ first place win for best use of color for a Back to School ABC ad she designed.

“Sometimes color can be overdone and complementing by not overdoing it helps. This is a great example of that, capitalizing on the negative space to enhance viewability and readability,” the same judge commented on her second-place win in the same category for her ad on a flag insert in the paper in June 2022.

Brantley took home four first place, two second place and one third place for her entries in the contest.

Brantley won first place for Best General News Story, Best Feature Story, Best Business/Agribusiness story and Best Headline; second place for Best Headline and Best Enterprise/Analytical Story and third place for Best General News Story.

On her winning feature story about Crystal Daugherty walking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago in Spain, the judge commented, “A story about a person’s fantastical journey through faith, this story takes the reader on a path as well – with all the triumphs and struggles. And I especially enjoyed the parting words of the end being a new beginning.”

The top three newspapers in each division in both the editorial and advertising contests are awarded General Excellence honors. Each first place awarded to a member of a newspaper’s staff receives five points, each second receives three points and each third place receives one point. The three newspapers with the most points receive the trophies. In the editorial contest, the Corbin News Journal placed first and the Leader-News in Central City placed second. The first place General Excellence in advertising went to the Leader-News and second place went to the Jackson County Sun.