Tribune staff wins state newspaper awards

The Healdsburg Tribune, and its sister publications The Windsor Times and Sonoma West Times & News, received several awards at the 2012 California Newspaper Publishers Association annual conference in Los Angeles last weekend.
The Tribune’s annual Harvest Edition took first place in the Special Section category.
Staff writer Lynda Hopkins won first place for environmental reporting, and Robin Hug won second place for educational coverage. Windsor Times Editor Matthew Hall won second place for artistic photo.
“We are especially proud that our annual Harvest Edition has now won over a dozen awards for excellence,” said Publisher Rollie Atkinson. “We owe that to the hard-working farmers, grapegrowers and harvest workers we work with each year.”
The annual contest includes 28 categories. Competing this year were  63 dailies, 121 weeklies and 33 school newspapers.
“The Better Newspapers Contest is designed to judge papers of similar size against one another in categories such as local breaking news, editorial comments, best writing, photography and general excellence,” said the CNPA’s award announcement. “The Better Newspapers Contest gives publishers and editors the opportunity to promote excellence in journalism throughout California by recognizing their staffs’ diligent work to provide for the community through reporting, design and photojournalism in print and digital media.”
“It is always an honor to be recognized by our newspaper peers in the Better Newspaper Contest,” Atkinson said. “We certainly value the many positive comments we get from our readers and advertisers, but these statewide awards from our industry add further validation for the great work our editors and reporters do, week-in and week-out.”
In the education bracket, Windsor High School graduate Ken Scarboro won second place for best photo in the 4-year college division. Scarboro currently attends CSU Northridge where he works for the Daily Sundial newspaper.
Other local papers to receive awards include The Press Democrat, Petaluma Argus-Courier and The Bohemian.