Paper takes 8 awards in competition

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette received eight awards, three of which were first place, for several writing and photo entries from 2021 in the National Federation of Press Women’s 2022 National Communications Contest.

Nearly 300 news and communications professionals, including seven current and one former Democrat-Gazette staff member, were honored June 25 in Fargo, N.D., at the National Federation of Press Women’s 2022 conference.

Religion editor and former Washington correspondent Frank E. Lockwood won first place for “Stay With Me” in the Specialty Articles, Religion category.

Style editor Celia Storey won first place for “Tom Slaughter” part 1 in Specialty Articles, History.

Photographer Stephen Swofford won first place, single photograph for “Making a splash.”

Lockwood received second place, along with reporter Tess Vrbin, in continuing coverage or unfolding news for their coverage of the crack in the Interstate 40 bridge from Arkansas to Memphis.

Vrbin also received second place, along with photographer Staci Vandagriff, in best news story for a print newspaper with “Storms rip state,” coverage of multiple tornadoes in northeast Arkansas.

Vandagriff also won second place for a single photograph in a news or feature story for “8 bills.”

Reporter Teresa Moss received an honorable mention for her feature story, “A closed door.”

Former reporter Ginny Monk won first place for indepth reporting for the investigation into the Centers for Youth and Families psychiatric facility in Little Rock.

The entries that received awards previously won first place in their categories in the Arkansas Press Women 2022 Communications Contest, which announced its winners in May. The Democrat-Gazette had 13 other first-place winners besides the ones that placed nationally.