North Iowa Times receives four awards
Audrey Posten received three awards for her writing and photography. The North Iowa Times was also honored for its social media presence.
The photograph “Colors from the sky” earned third place for “Best News Feature Photo.”
The North Iowa Times earned four awards in the 2019 Iowa Better Newspaper Contests, marking the fifth straight year the newspaper has been honored. Winners were announced Feb. 8, at the Iowa Newspaper Association’s annual awards banquet held during the INA 2019 Convention and Trade Show.
Members of the Indiana Press Association judged approximately 3,654 entries in dozens of categories by class, based on circulation. The North Iowa Times falls in the Weekly Class I category, for newspapers published weekly with 1,001 circulation and less.
Three of the newspaper’s awards were for first place. One went to editor Audrey Posten in the “Best News Story” category for the article “One year later: Restoring McGregor after the tornado.” The story, which beat out nine other entries for the top spot, described McGregor’s recovery efforts in the year following the July 2017 tornado.
“Excellent story on how a community recovers in just one year after a natural disaster,” commented the judge. “The writer talked to a variety of officials, residents and business owners who were affected. Great flow from beginning to end. I was interested in what I was reading the whole time.”
The North Iowa Times’ next first-place award went to Posten for “Best Series.” Published last March, the series included six articles that highlighted inspiring women in the community. Ten other newspapers competed in the category.
The paper’s other top honor came in the category “Best Use of Social Media.” The judge considered the North Iowa Times’ presence on both Facebook and Instagram, noting, “Strong effort is being made to grow readers through frequent updates and engagement with readers.”
For the fourth award, Posten earned third place for “Best News Feature Photo.” Entitled “Colors from the sky,” the aerial photograph depicted the fall foliage on the bluffs surrounding Marquette and McGregor. It was captured in October 2017, during an airplane ride with reader Elmer Marting.
