Newspaper receives 16 awards during annual APA convention

LITTLE ROCK — The Sentinel-Record received 16 awards Saturday, including third place for General Excellence in the Larger Dailies category, during the Arkansas Press Association’s 2017 SuperConvention at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

The newspaper also received a second-place award for Best Website. The Texarkana Gazette won first place in the category.

Members of the Oklahoma Press Association selected the winners from 17 daily newspapers submitting 672 entries and 33 weekly newspapers submitting 982 entries in the APA’s annual Better Newspaper Editorial Contest.

The Sentinel-Record finished third in General Excellence behind the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville, first place, and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock, second place.

The newspaper’s award recipients included first place for Single News Photograph to Richard Rasmussen, for his image of a woman being rescued from her vehicle after it plunged into Lake Hamilton. Rasmussen also received a third-place award in the category, for his photograph of a woman being pulled from a car as another vehicle burned in the background following a collision on south Central Avenue.

Managing Editor Steven Mross received a first-place award for News/Political Column for his first-person reflection on covering a rape trial.

Sports Editor Bob Wisener received a first-place award for Sports News Story, for coverage of thoroughbred horse racing at Oaklawn Park.

News Editor Tom Ritchey received a first-place award for Headline Writing for “Fellowship of the Wings,” on an article about a Hot Springs High School alumni who received a grant to travel the world studying insects and culture. Ritchey also received a third-place award for Best Front Page.

Corbet Deary, a freelance writer who contributes regularly to The Sentinel-Record, received a first-place award for Freelance Writing for one of his regular outdoor travel features.