Federal Way Mirror wins 15 awards from WNPA

Federal Way Mirror staff took top honors at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual event on Oct. 9 with a third place in the prestigious General Excellence category for circulation group 4.

October 15, 2015 12:23 pm
Mirror publisher Rudi Alcott holds up the prestigious third place General Excellence award the newspaper received from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association during the organization’s annual Better Newspaper Contest event on Oct. 9 in Everett.
Mirror publisher Rudi Alcott holds up the prestigious third place General Excellence award the newspaper received from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association during the organization’s annual Better Newspaper Contest event on Oct. 9 in Everett.

Federal Way Mirror staff took top honors at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual event on Oct. 9 with a third place in the prestigious General Excellence category for circulation group 4.

Overall, Mirror staff took home 15 awards in the annual Better Newspaper Contest for their quality community journalism and advertising.

Editor Carrie Rodriguez won first place for Best Environmental News for her coverage of Twin Lakes residents’ concerns about toxic algae and the city’s response. She also won first place for Best General Feature Story, Long for her coverage of Keller Williams Puget Sound employees who rallied to help a quadriplegic girl’s family.

In addition, Rodriguez was recognized with two third place awards for Best Editorial and Best Story on the Arts.

Publisher Rudi Alcott, reporter Raechel Dawson and Rodriguez were also recognized with a third place award for Best Comprehensive Coverage of a Single Issue for their coverage of a felony trial in Oregon for former school board president Tony Moore.

“Fantastic coverage on a trial not even in your state,” one judge wrote about that story. “Congrats on going above and beyond to get this story covered.”

Dawson also hauled in three awards, including second place for the Best Investigative Reporting category for her story “More details emerge in city’s purchase of former Target site.”

“Again, a good example of a story where the reporter was determined to keep going to answer questions for readers,” one judge wrote.

Dawson also won two third place awards for Best Investigative Reporting and Best General Feature Story, Long.

Sports reporter Terrence Hill won third place for Best Color Sports Photo – Action.

The Mirror’s sales team also took home five awards.

Marcie Shannon and Cindy Ducich won first place for Best Use of Process Color for a Black Bear Diner ad.

“Color looks fantastic … Food looks very real and jumps off the page at the reader saying, ‘eat me, I’m delicious,’” a judge wrote.

Kay Miller, Jennifer Anderson, Shannon and Ducich also won first place for Topical/Non-Tourism Special Sections for the Mirror’s annual Health and Wellness Guide. In addition, Shannon, Miller and Ducich won first place for Multiple-Advertiser Ad for the newspaper’s annual Father’s Day ad featuring the publisher and Mayor Jim Ferrell at Wild Waves.

Shannon, Miller and Ducich won second place for Toursim/Community Guide Special Sections and all three, plus Anderson, won third place for Special/Events/Festivals Special Sections.