BEST VERTICAL PRODUCT

Judge

Jody Epp

Jody has been working for Black Press on Vancouver Island for 10 years as a Senior account rep, director of sales and now sales manager for UsedEverywhere.com. Congratulations to all the winners for a job well done.

First Place

Orillia Today

From the minute you feast your eyes on the decadent front cover to the textured ad on the back page, you are completely hooked by the Mariposa Folk Festival special feature. The diverse use of fonts, photographs and fluid colours compels the reader to turn the pages for more. The use of familiar faces and photographs from past and present along with the unpredictable layout make this supplement first in it’s category and a pleasure to refer to for years to come.

Third Place

Georgina Advocate

The highlight of this feature is the pull out map which doubles as a Chamber of commerce directory. The partnership between the community, the Chamber and the newspaper inspires the editorial and compelling photos which give the reader a real insight into the communities and the activities there in.

Second Place

caledon enterPrise

One of the two most eye-catching photos in the entire selection of entries. Nobody passing by a newstand could avoid looking at this front page. The news story tells of good work done by passersby which everyone hopes would be the case in any emergency. Enterprise has a nice, clean look with good room for editorial copy/pix. More copy about the crash would have been good, but space is limited with the tabloid format.

Judge

dave Whitfield

For 20 years, Dave Whitfield has worked as editor, sports editor, reporter, photographer and freelancer in Alberta and B.C. Along with community newspapers, he has worked at an alternative entertainment weekly, a pro rodeo monthly and done contract work on a couple of magazines.

First Place

Midland Free Press

Quality coverage of tornado from previous week. Front pic is eyecatching and shows both localized devastation and effect on a homeowner who is looking off in the future possibly. Work by two reporters shows staff initiative; speaking with emergency professionals and those affected. Judging by turns alluded to on the front, coverage was extensive of an extensive natural disaster. Front pagewise, my main criticism are the sprinkling of postage stamp-sized ads cluttering up space. If the Free Press stuck with just the bottom banner, the photo could have had better play.

Third Place

elMiraWoolWich observer

Very strong photo and layout to draw attention to a community news event. The photo works well, even though it is not from the actual time of the event. Copy and headline over photo work in drawing the reader in and has a magazine touch. Observer has a clean, uncluttered front. Copy relates to an event previous, but explores the growing nature of the spill event. Wide-ranging interest.

Sponsored by Laurentian Publishing

Ted Hill

Edward Hill has been the editor of the Goldstream News Gazette since September 2007. He’s worked as a reporter at Black Press newspapers in Duncan and Ladysmith, was a reporter at the Gazette in 2006 and earned a few awards along the way. Edward went to Langara College in Vancouver for journalism. Prior to that, he earned a science degree from the University of Victoria, and worked in offshore seismic surveying.

First Place

Parry Sound north Star

The Parry Sound North Star front had the best all-around combination of interesting stories, strong photos and a generally clean layout. The three stories are interesting and well written. The turtle photos have striking contrast, draw the eye and nicely encapsulate the story.

Second Place

new liSkeard temiSkaming SPeaker

The New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker presented a clean front with strong dominant photo paired with elegant writing. The photo is emotive and powerful. The headline, subhead font and size are in nice proportion to the layout of the page.

Third Place

BurkS FallS almaguin newS general comment – As a general comment for all the pages, the majority turn all or most of their stories. This is a choice, not a necessity. Most pages could use more white space, pull quotes or sidebars to break up heavy blocks of text.

The gripping photo that captures the mood and headline for the lead story makes the Burks Falls Almaguin News a stand out front page. Writing is solid.

Sponsored by Laurentian Publishing

Second Place

MilTOn canadian chaMPiOn

Imaginative layout, excellent pictures, great writing but no columns.

Judge

Jake Boudrot

Jake Boudrot was a news reporter for three years, then named editor of The Strait Area Reporter in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia in 2001. Since becoming editor, The Reporter has won 14 Atlantic Canada Community Newspaper Association awards and he has been a judge of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association awards since 2006. He is married to April Dorey Boudrot and lives in Arichat, Nova Scotia.

First Place

Oshawa This week

Excellent content and writing, great writing and layout.

Third Place

ajax/ Pickering news adverTiser

Excellent pictures and layout but skimpy on columns.

Frank Bucholtz

Judge

Frank Bucholtz is the editor of The Langley Times, a twice-weekly community newspaper in the Greater Vancouver suburb of Langley. He has been a reporter, photographer and editor for numerous community newspapers in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley areas of B.C. since 1978. He is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and the journalism program at Langara College in Vancouver. The Times received a Ma Murray Award as the best newspaper in its class in the 2010 B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association awards.

First Place

ToronTo Mid-Town Town Crier

The winner was the impressive and (at times) impudent Mid-Town Toronto Town Crier 30th anniversary edition. This was a real keeper for readers. It had very strong advertiser support and fantastic design and press work, as did all the entries from the Town Crier family of newspapers.

However, it was the excellent editorial content which made it stand out above other very strong contenders. In a very well-written and themed format, the history of the Town Crier was laid out. Interviews with the founders, a focus on past stories that attracted reader attention and profiles of the current staff gave readers a well- rounded picture of the Town Crier, and why it is such an important read in a media market that has hundreds of voices shouting for attention.

Second Place

oshawa

This week

Second went to Oshawa

This Week for its very popular Faces of the Future, a look at “Durham region youth taking a positive direction.” Its 88 pages are proof that this supplement is a must-buy for many advertisers, and the editorial content was uplifting and refreshing. Overall design was also sharp. The look back at the highlights of the 10 years Oshawa This Week has published the special section was a worthwhile addition this year. In both this case and the Town Crier entry, OCNA member newspapers are emphasizing to both readers and advertisers the value of the community newspaper industry and why it continues to have value in the digital media age.

Third Place

ToronTo norTh ToronTo Town Crier

Third place goes to another Town Crier publication, the Toronto North Town Crier’s Kids and Education supplement. This has an excellent mix of editorial content and well-designed and presented advertising. As noted above, it is this type of special section which really draws readers in.

honoUraBle MenTion – Honourable mentions go to three tourist guides - those published by the Barrie Advance, Hamilton Mountain News and Burlington Post. All three contained a wealth of information about the community, and were well-packaged and laid out – in addition to being chock full of ads.

General CoMMenT – This was an impressive category, with many very good entries and only a few which I would not rate as highly. Almost all had excellent advertising support, which after all is one of the key reasons for special sections. A few which clearly were “outside the box”- type sections struggled for support, but even these had validity, as they highlighted important community events or more obscure aspects of community life that deserved a spotlight. In the area of editorial content, there was a much wider range of strengths and weaknesses. One section, which had an impressive lineup of ads, did not have any local material at all for content, with all stories picked up from a canned copy service. Another had no written copy at all - just photos. However, many had very strong editorial content, and I believe this made them far more valuable to readers. Strong readership equals strong sales for our advertisers, and that means everybody wins. That’s the fundamental strength of our industry.

Judge

Second Place

nunavut nEws/north

Opportunities North: A Report on Northern Industry. A huge project about a huge part of our country that obviously requires huge resources to publish every year. Editorial content, in words, photos and graphics, is top quality and well supported by effective advertising messages. A feast of facts about the North. Stimulating and mind-filling. I felt very full after reading through it.

Joyce Carlson

Joyce has been involved in the newspaper business since 1970 when she started writing hockey reports for her local newspaper. She was then hired as women’s editor, moving on to sports editor, reporter, editor, assistant publisher and publisher. In 1989, she left her hometown to become publisher of The Gulf Islands Driftwood on Salt Spring Island. She left in 1995 to launch The Powell River Peak which has had a website since 1998. Joyce has been on the BC and Yukon Community Newspapers Association board since 1986 and served as president in 1989-90. She was on the Canadian Community Newspapers Association board of directors for nine years, serving as chair of the marketing committee for four of those years. She was association president in 1994-95. After more than 40 years, Joyce continues to enjoy the business and the role newspapers play in their communities with all the accompanying rewards and challenges.

First Place

Manitoulin Expositor

The Wiky Drum: This 50th anniversary celebratory issue stood out among the entries as the most original and creative. Emotional stories provide historical perspective about our First Nations neighbours and their struggle to maintain their cultural roots. Public display of those roots was prohibited by a paternalistic society. Courage to retain, and regain, their cultural identity is still required today from individuals and their intergenerational family members whose stories are powerfully told in this special section. Truly inspiring.

Third Place

st. Marys Journal argus honouraBlE MEntion – Saluting the Physicians by the Fort Francis Times. I gave this section an honourable mention because I have not seen the idea before. I liked giving a salute to doctors who work for the well being of a community, working to keep people healthy and to care for them when they are ill.

St. Marys Homecoming 2010. Community pride on display for another decade. Complete with schedule, quizzes (Which prime minister swam in the quarry? I guessed Trudeau and read later that it was him), historical stories, letters from former and current residents, made the 40-pages an interesting read, even for someone who has never been to St. Marys. Great involvement by businesses and organizations with advertising dollars.

Maurissa grano

Judge

Maurissa graduated from Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology in 1992 with a Diploma in Graphic Design. In 1994, she launched Creative Odyssey Marketing and Design Inc. in Sudbury, with her partner Giovanni, and she has been the creative force behind the firm’s success. In 1999, Creative Odyssey Marketing and Design was awarded a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce SOHO Business Excellence Award. Maurissa oversees a very creative and forward-thinking advertising and design firm and continues to upgrade her skills through various seminars and courses. In 2006, she was recognized with a Greater Sudbury and Manitoulin 40 Under 40 Award, which celebrates young men and women in the community as leaders.

Second Place

creemore echo

Nice use of illustration and visually appealing. Ties in well with the client, a country appeal.

First Place

Scugog Standard

Great ad series! Nice to see the repeated use of the circular pattern that ties in with the logo. The imagery used was very bright and appropriate to the client. Ad layout is clean and uncluttered, consistent throughout.

Third Place

trenton, the trentonian

Creative use of space and font to clearly depict a large scale event in a small ad. Clean design!

Tina Hennigar

In her tenth year at Lighthouse Media Group, Tina Hennigar has received the Newspaper Promotion award nationally in their class for the past three years concurrent. She gives all the credit to a team of outstanding graphic designers and leadership that encourages out-of-the-box thinking. “Sure, we can promote our papers in our papers, but I think we can and should do better than that.” Tina is always looking towards videos, community events and contests to promote all their products, not just to readers and advertisers, but also reaching out to those who aren’t yet readers or advertisers.

First Place

Creemore eCho

We sometimes undervalue our own newspapers. A voluntary subscription sale produced by The Creemore Echo challenged readers, who get their paper for free, to subscribe voluntary for $45 per year. Who would pay for it when you don’t have to, one might ask? But have we ever asked our readers to subscribe to a free circulation newspaper? They did, and when seeing 52 pages of newspapers in the ad, it shows the reader the value of the paper they’ve been enjoying for free. Brilliant.

Second Place

New hamburg iNdepeNdeNT

Second place goes to the New Hamburg Independent for their bold use of testimonials.

Third Place

oshawa

This week

Third place goes to Oshawa This Week for an ad engaging readers to have their say in the many forms of social media. It would be hard not to notice it.