The Star-Herald was honored to receive 12 awards in the 2020 Mississippi Press Association (MPA) Better Newspaper Contest during the MPA’s annual convention at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi last weekend.
Thirty-four newspapers submitted a total of 1,623 entries into this year’s editorial contest, which was judged by volunteers from the Georgia Press Association.
While many of the awards recognized the work of individual staff members, the newspaper won several overall awards including second place for General Excellence and Sports Section, and swept the Sports Action Photo category.
"I am extremely proud of The Star-Herald team’s work every single day, but to be honored among our industry peers means a lot to us," said the newspaper’s Editor and Publisher Karen Fioretti. "It demonstrates our commitment to producing in-depth, quality journalism for the communities we serve.”
Here is a list of the awards received by the newspaper and its staff for work published during 2020. See the associated graphics for details.
The Star-Herald staff placed first in three categories:
Sports Action Photo – Kevin Brunt
Special Section – Jennifer McCaskill
Personality Portrait – Karen Fioretti
The Star-Herald and staff members placed second in six categories:
General Excellence
Sports Section
General News Story – Karen Fioretti
In-depth Coverage – Karen Fioretti
Front Page – Karen Fioretti
Sports Action Photo – Kevin Brunt
Staff of the newspaper also won three third-place awards:
Headline – Karen Fioretti
General News Story – Beverly Casteel
Sports Action Photo – Chris McDill
"We congratulate all the winners in this year's contest," said MPA President Kevin Cooper, senior vice president of Boone Newspapers, Inc. "It demonstrates the very hard work they all accomplished in a year that was full of extraordinary challenges for everyone in every community."
Awards for advertising excellence will be handed out in February during MPA’s Mid-Winter Conference.
Founded in 1866 and now in its 155th year, MPA is the trade association representing Mississippi newspaper media.
