The Marysville Globe won first place in General Excellence in the biggest weekly circulation category in the state Friday at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association awards banquet in Olympia.
Managing editor Steve Powell was pleasantly surprised.
“It was the first time in the three years I’ve been here that we were nominated, so I definitely was shocked to win,” he said.
The Port Orchard Independent and Renton Reporter newspapers took second and third, respectively.
The coveted award among entries in the Washington Better Newspaper Contest recognizes overall quality across all parts of publication, from news and advertising to design and press work.
Overall, the Globe-The Arlington Times didn’t win as many individual awards as in the past two years. Powell attributed at least some of that to the papers competing against each other, rather than the Times being in a smaller circulation category as in the past. Also, “the competition was especially tough this year as everyone is raising their game,” Powell said.
Reporter Doug Buell combined with Powell for first place in Long Story category for an article on the few women firefighters in Arlington and Marysville.
Powell also took a first in Best Online Photo Essay on the private Evangel Classical School in Marysville.
Former sports reporter Brandon Adam took first in Best Online Video for the preview to last year’s football season.
Powell also took four third-place awards: for an editorial on Panhandling in Marysville and Arlington; for a crime or court story about railroad conductor Curtis Rookaird and his struggles with BNSF; for an investigative story about the firing of a former Arlington police officer; and for Color Pictorial, for a shot of the Qwuloolt Estuary looking toward Mount Rainier.
Former reporter Kirk Boxleitner, now with the Port Townsend Leader, took a first in breaking news and a second in government reporting.
The Globe and Times are owned by Sound Publishing, the largest community media organization in Washington.
Josh O’Conner, Sound Publishing Vice President and Publisher of The Everett Daily Herald, said he was extremely proud of the team’s work.
“This is a true reflection of their hard work, dedication and passion for community journalism,” he said. “The ultimate winner is the communities that they serve with thoughtful, credible and relevant journalism that makes a difference. It’s always nice to see these high standards recognized by colleagues and those that we serve.”
