Nevada Press Association The best in Nevada journalism since 1924
General Excellence
- Boulder City Review
Judge’s comment: Clean and consistent, good editorial content and well-written editorial made this newspaper stand out. - Mesquite Local News
Judge’s comment: Well written, catering to a visitor’s crowd. - Tammy Creedon, Kristy Stralla, Eric Dahlberg, Sparks Tribune
Best Breaking News Reporting
1. Celia Shortt Goodyear
Boulder City Review
City official admits to ethics violation
Judge’s comment: City hall can be one of the most mundane beats we have, but it’s also one of the most important. It takes skill to convey egregious ethics violations to our readers and why they matter — this reporter nailed that.
Extra kudos on including the public documents at the end of the story.
2. Peggy Jones
Lovelock Review-Miner
Seeking LisaMaria – California woman missing near Lovelock
Judge’s comment: You had me when you mentioned the off-duty police officer finding the 2016 Ford Fiesta in a place it shouldn’t be. Keep up that attention to detail in your future reporting.
My only complaint is that I didn’t learn enough about LisaMaria. Who was she to the community? What impact did her disappearance leave on the area?
Those details are the difference between a winner and runner-up.
3. Jeffrey Meehan
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Ambulance struck by boulder
Best Feature Writing
1. Heidi Bunch
Mineral County Independent-News
A Boy Lost
Judge’s comment: Interesting topic and good background information. I wish there were more comments from people who were around during the time, such as police officers, but not sure that was possible.
2. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Motorcycle memories
Judge’s comment: Good lead and fun subject. More comments from Virginia Mahaney would have made this stronger.
3. Celia Shortt Goodyear
Boulder City Review
Gase races to save others
Judge’s comment: Good writing on a worthy topic. Great way to tell story of organ donation.
Best Nonstaff Story
1. Richard Stephens
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Arts and culture thrive at the Spicer Ranch
Judge’s comment: high-quality and confident
2. Sheri Samson
Mineral County Independent-News
Community remembers 9/11 with tribute, hike
Judge’s comment: Thanks for the intro to Mineral County!
3. Sarah Judd
Lincoln County Record
LOCAL ARTIST CREATING MURAL FOR MOAPA VALLEY
Judge’s comment: Thanks for all of your local submissions; very hard to choose!!
Best Business Spot News Story
1. Daria Solokova
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Landmark Clown Motel put up for sale
Judge’s comment: Memorable subject matter and story on business undoubtedly important, and infamous, to the community, with nice use of quotes and details
Quite the variety of business stories here. Unfortunately, one entry included multiple in-depth stories from different angles, with excellent investigation and writing, but did not fit the listed criteria of a single story
2. Jeffrey Meehan
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Lithium mining claims lead to busy day at Nye Recorder’s office
Judge’s comment: Probably the most “spot” of the spot breaking news submissions. Could have used some background details, like how much lithium is worth on the market
3. Kayla Anderson
Sparks Tribune
Family trades in garbage business for Sparks marijuana dispensary
Judge’s comment: Nice angle on a family venturing into a new business together. Would have benefitted from some details on family member’s personal illness to establish that “connection”
Best Business Feature
1. Jeffrey Meehan
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Historic Goldfield Hotel to reopen
Judge’s comment: This article really takes the reader back in time to the “boomtown” glory days. It is evident that the reporter researched the hotel’s history to add to the owners’ quotes and create an interesting feature. This story would make me look forward to future coverage of the hotel by the newspaper.
The entries in this category were excellent! It was a very close call between the winners.
2. Kayla Anderson
Sparks Tribune
As one of Sparks’ oldest businesses, Coney Island Bar keeps family tradition alive
Judge’s comment: This article offered a great exploration into a piece of local history. The quotes from the interview with the owner make the reader really feel like they are sitting down at the bar talking about the family business.
3. Celia Shortt Goodyear
Boulder City Review
Heavenly help
Judge’s comment: This article was a great way to take a local business angle on a tragedy that affected the nation. The reporter did an excellent job highlighting the individual and the company who decided to help others with their product.
Best Explanatory Journalism
1. Daria Sokolova
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Ambulance service collapsing,Tonopah health care crisis
Judge’s comment: I just could not judge the TRIC pipeline series, however excellent, with the newspaper articles. They are totally different animals… I feel badly because each of these entries demonstrates obvious local knowledge of very important issues – but the online entry has all the space and technical pluses the others don’t have in print. I think it was unfair to put an online entry into a print category… I did not place it ONLY because it is like judging a cat at a dog show… : >
2. Heidi Bunch
Mineral County Independent-News
Walker River water issues heard in court
3. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Bypass blends with environment
Best News Feature Story
1. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Old-fashioned horse sense
Judge’s comment: The humor and heart shown in this very well-written piece gave it the edge over competitors
Fascinating to read all of the different stories offering insight into communities – all very important and timely concerns. Some grammatical errors and lack of clarity kept some of the entries from achieving greatness
2. Kayla Anderson
Sparks Tribune
Physically Disabled Sparks Boy Thriving in New Virtual School
Judge’s comment: Solid writing and compelling subject matter almost pushed it to the top of the category
3. Celia Shortt Goodyear
Boulder City Review
Driscoll honored for saving 1-year-old
Judge’s comment: A well-written and emotional story of redemption. A key detail seemed to be missing and that kept the story from the very top of the category
Best Investigative Story
1. Daria Sokolova
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Newspaper sheds light on light on massive solar plant in Nye County
Judge’s comment: In-depth reporting on the issue from multiple perspectives, requiring intensive research and leg work. Nicely done
All entries investigated important community issues and required research – a pleasure to read all of them
2. Celia Shortt Goodyear
Boulder City Review
City may be flouting code
Judge’s comment: Great work on this story of enormous importance to the community, from a financial perspective and otherwise. Would have liked to have seen the two pieces submitted as a series instead of separate entries
3. KayLynn Roberts-McMurray
Ely Times
Animal Gas Chamber
Judge’s comment: Long-term follow-up and reporting that resulted in real change in a community. Grammatical errors kept this out of the top spot
Best Local Column
1. Andrew Barbano
Sparks Tribune
Andrew Barbano
Judge’s comment: Excellent work. These are some of the most moving columns I’ve read.
2. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Hali’s Comment
Best Local Non-staff Column
1. Thomas Mitchell
Ely Times
Non-staff columns by Thomas Mitchell
Judge’s comment: Good variety of topics, well-written and provocative.
Best Sports Spot News Story
1. Vern Hee
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Tonopah high jumper wins state title
Judge’s comment: Nice succinct story that lays out the gravity of the moment and the results.
2. Eric Dahlberg
Sparks Tribune
Cougars Win First Regional Title in Program History
Judge’s comment: Writer packs in some good information with a good lead.
3. Tom Rysinski
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Team loses by 39, gets standing ovation
Judge’s comment: Good writing, but would’ve liked to have seen player quotes.
Best Sports Feature Writing
1. Tom Rysinski
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Despite obstacles, Tonopah golfers aim for state
Judge’s comment: A good telling of an interesting story. A case of letting the story tell itself.
Overall this group did a good job finding good stories to publicize.
2. Kayla Anderson
Sparks Tribune
Local Cheer Squad ‘Flocking’ Its Way to Nationals
Judge’s comment: Good playful tone for a fun story.
3. Peggy Jones
Lovelock Review-Miner
Lovelock goes to the Olympics
Judge’s comment: Good use of historical documents.
Best Entertainment Writing
1. Jeffrey Meehan
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Goldfield celebrates its largest event of the year
Judge’s comment: Good coverage of local events.
Best Editorial Writing
1. Thomas Mitchell
Ely Times
Editorials by Thomas Mitchell
Judge’s comment: The editorials present strong opinions on topics of statewide concern, with a good sense of providing ideas for better courses of action.
Best Editorial Page
1. Staff
Sparks Tribune
Sparks Tribune Editorial pages
Judge’s comment: Excellent range of topics and contributors in an engaging layout.
2. Staff
Boulder City Review
Judge’s comment: Consistent layout with great content.
3. Sam Toll
The Storey Teller
Sunday Word of the Day
Judge’s comment: Clever idea.
Best Overall Design
1. Staff
Boulder City Review
Best overall design
Judge’s comment: Nice clean layouts with great use of large photos throughout the paper to keep the reader interested. Lots of good information presented in well organized way.
2. Jessica Beaudoin
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Best Overall Design/Tonopah Times-Bonanza & Goldfield News
Judge’s comment: Nice and crisp layout. Nice feature pages.
Best Page One Design
1. Jessica Beaudoin
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Best Page 1 Design
Judge’s comment: Clean, crisp design with great use of photos. Good balance. Use of photos down the page keeps readers interested.
Couple of great papers in this contest. It’s really hard to decide between a broadsheet paper and a tab size paper. Really liked both of these papers.
2. Eric Dahlberg
Sparks Tribune
Judge’s comment: Lead stories really pop on these pages. Great photo selection. Great to see them run big enough to dominate the page, since it a single story front page.
Best Graphic Designer
1. Eric Dahlberg
Sparks Tribune
Judge’s comment: The strong use of art on tab pages made these entries stand out. They weren’t cluttered or try too hard, they just presented the content in an easy-to-digest package for readers, a hallmark of good design that’s not easy to pull off consistently.
Best Headline Writing
1. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Judge’s comment: Usage likely biggest culprit for surge in utility costs, Mom finds her element in classroom, Hurdler jumps in to lead Lady Eagles
The word play in all three of these headlines pushed it over the top
Super fun category to judge – lots of clever use of words and puns – laugh out loud funny. Top four were all very, very close – but all 3 headlines in each of the top entries were great
3. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Wilkes mines history for new book, City manager, attorney strike gold in BC, What a crock
Judge’s comment: While still clever, these weren’t quite as catchy as the top two entries
Super fun category to judge – lots of clever use of words and puns – laugh out loud funny. Top four were all very, very close – but all 3 headlines in each of the top entries were great
Best News Photo Coverage
1. Celia Shortt Goodyear
Boulder City Review
Tribute to slain officer
Judge’s comment: First place was a good read with immediate impact. Second was a unique look at what can be a mundane event. Third place offered a sense of being in an event without actually being there.
2. Paul Luisi
Boulder City Review
Air Force One
3. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Eclipse totality
Best Feature Photo
1. John Byrne
Sparks Tribune
Too Close For Comfort
Judge’s comment: A great storytelling image that immediately rose to the top due to its eye-catching qualities.
2. John Byrne
Sparks Tribune
Eclipse Mania
Judge’s comment: A close second – the expressions on the kids’ faces say it all.
3. John Byrne
Sparks Tribune
Muscle-Man
Judge’s comment: A nice moment that showed good work by the photographer for behind-the-scenes access.
Best Multiple Photo Essay
1. Eric Dahlberg, Tanya Bunch
Mineral County Independent-News
Armed Forces Day 2017
Judge’s comment: Great variety of photos. Reader gets a feel for actually being present even if they missed the event. Nice layout.
2. John Byrne, Eric Dahlberg
Sparks Tribune
Hometowne Christmas
Judge’s comment: Nice shots that give the reader a feel for the event. Just lacks the variety of first place.
3. Eric Dahlberg, Heidi Bunch
Mineral County Independent-News
2017 MCHS Homecoming
Judge’s comment: Good photos of the event, just lacks the variety of first place.
Best Portrait
1. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Eureka
Judge’s comment: This one rose to the top just by the environment and neat lighting streaming through the window.
2. Hali Bernstein Saylor
Boulder City Review
Scott and Odie
Judge’s comment: A nice moment between a man and his horse but could have benefitted with a caption indicating why he was photographed.
3. John Byrne
Sparks Tribune
2017 Prep Football Preview Cover
Judge’s comment: A well-executed illustration for prep football season.
Best Illustrated Photo
1. John Byrne
Sparks Tribune
2017 Prep Football Preview
Judge’s comment: We’re always looking for new ways to do the annual football preview cover. This one is a winner.
Best Sports Photo
1. Canaan Petersen
Boulder City Review
State champions
Judge’s comment: Excellent capture of an emotional moment.
2. Dave Maxwell
Ely Times
Ladycats
Judge’s comment: Great angle and timing for a hard to get shot.
3. John Byrne
Sparks Tribune
Game Ball
Judge’s comment: Good shot of an emotional win.
Best Special Section (Editorial)
1. Bobbie Sakurada, Rhonda Coleman, Emily Swindle, Joe Plummer, Carmen Kofoed, Jen Anderson
Battle Mountain Bugle
Lander Discovery Guide 2018
Judge’s comment: Nice overview of activities and history of outdoor fun. Gives a non-local a better idea of the area.
2. Eric Dahlberg, Heidi Bunch
Mineral County Independent-News
Armed Forces Day 2017
Judge’s comment: Enjoyable review of the annual celebration. Incredible community ad support!
Best Special Section (Editorial)
3. John Byrne, Nathan Shoup, Eric Dahlberg
Sparks Tribune
2017 Prep Football Preview
Judge’s comment: Neat preview section. Love the cover photo! I’d be pumped to watch some Friday night.
Best Print Ad
1. Shari Gilson
Ely Times
Horse Racing
Judge’s comment: Eye catching, easy to follow ad. Very well organized over the picture.
2. Teresa Stewart
Ely Times
Eclipse
Judge’s comment: Nice ad that get attention. The vehicle type under the photo is a little hard to read but overall nicely done.
3. Shari Gilson
Ely Times
Welcome to Our Backyard
Judge’s comment: Nice, simple ad that gets plenty of attention.
Best Black & White Ad
1. Heather Ruth
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Fall Fling
2. Heather Ruth
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Bella’s Quilts & Crafts
Best-In House Promotion
1. Heather Ruth
Tonopah Times Bonanza
NOT Going Out Of Business House
2. Shari Gilson
Ely Times
New to Ely
Silver Star Award
1. Heidi Bunch
Mineral County Independent-News
General Online Excellence
1. Mesquite News
Mesquite Local News
Judge’s comment: I really looked for something different here, and the first and third place winners provided a different look- a little less cookie-cutter than some of the others. I particularly liked the story layouts for the winner. The second place entry was complete, and serves its purpose well. The third place entry was unique, and I thought the layout was very effective.
Digital innovation
1. David Jacobs
Tonopah Times Bonanza
Rural storm coverage
Judge’s comment: I applaud your effort to serve your readers with whatever tools are available.
Best Platform Writing
1. Sam Toll
The Storey Teller
Judge’s comment: Good mix of commentary and reporting.