BREMERTON — The Bremerton Patriot and Central Kitsap Reporter won six awards in the 2015 Better Newspaper Contest hosted by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.
The awards were announced at the association’s 128th annual convention Oct. 9 in Everett.
As a group, Sound Publishing’s newspapers in Kitsap County — the Bainbridge Island Review, Bremerton Patriot, Central Kitsap Reporter, North Kitsap Herald and Port Orchard Independent — won 40 awards. The Bainbridge Island Review won Ad of the Year. The Port Orchard Independent won General Excellence. Discover Kitsap, edited by Special Publication Editor Leslie Kelly, won Best Tourism Guide.
All told, 58 newspapers competed in this year’s contest, which consisted of work produced between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015. There were 373 advertising entries, 160 special sections entries, 1,076 news entries, 349 photography entries, 31 web entries and 45 general excellence entries. The entries were judged by members of the Kansas Press Association.
The Patriot and Reporter compete in Group 4, consisting of newspapers with more than 12,500 circulation. Here are the awards the newspapers won:
SECOND PLACE
— Best Branding Ad: Bryon Kempf and Jennifer Zuver, “Thanks for Voting Us #1 Day Spa.”
— Best Special Section/Festivals: Staff, “Military Appreciation.”
— Best Story on the Arts: Peter O’Cain, “Sculpting tiny trees into works of art is the goal of the Bonsai Club.”
— Best General Feature Story, Short: Seraine Page, “Cowboy given military honors on his final ride.”
THIRD PLACE
— Best Business Feature Story: Leslie Kelly, “Fine wood furniture crafting runs in his blood.”
— Color Pictorial: Seraine Page, “A Silverdale Sunset.”
Lori Maxim, publisher and a vice president of Sound Publishing, said, “I am tremendously proud of our team for winning so many coveted awards. It’s a tribute to the exceptionally talented staff we have working for our company. Our team shares these awards with our readers and advertisers in the community. Without their stories, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
