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I-T wins honors in state contest

 

The Sonoma Index-Tribune has received word that it has won 12 awards in the annual California Newspaper Publishers Association's Better Newspapers Contest.

The BNC is an annual news competition sponsored by CNPA and recognizes outstanding journalistic achievements published by daily and weekly California newspapers during the year. Dailies and weeklies compete in the same categories but separate divisions, based on their circulation. The awards will be presented during the state association's 2011 conference in Los Angeles next month.

The Index-Tribune was notified that it has been awarded either a first or second place plaque for best writing, best business story, best website, best special issue, plus three photography awards for best news and breaking news photos.

The I-T also earned certificates of achievement (finishing in the top four) for editorials and editorial pages, and yet another breaking news photo.

"One of the best things about this year's state awards is that four of them were for photography, and three different members of our staff earned them. Bill Hoban, our managing editor, earned two; Robbi Pengelly, our staff photographer, earned one; and David Bolling, our editor, also earned one. Having a staff with three state-award-winning photographers is something very special," said I-T Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Bill Lynch.

Lynch also pointed out that Emily Charrier-Botts' business story about local egg producers was a winner, as was the writing and editing of Bolling.

Sonomanews.com, the I-T's website has won both state and national honors in recent years and is in the running for the first place prize again, while SONOMA Magazine has earned another state award for excellence.

"We enter these contests to test ourselves against the best in our profession. We want to know how we measure up. It is gratifying that we consistently finish among the top community newspapers in California. I'm very proud of our entire team," Lynch concluded.