Cedar County News is once again named Sweepstakes winner
LINCOLN — The Cedar County News was honored Thursday as one of the top weekly newspapers in the state.
For the third year in a row, the News earned the Digital Sweepstakes award as having the top digital content of all the newspapers in its circulation class.
The News also garnered a third-place finish in the Sweepstakes competition for its print editions.
The News was one of only five Nebraska newspapers to earn the Omaha-World Herald Community Service Award. This is the 25th straight year the World Herald has handed out awards for Community Service and Service to Agriculture and the fourth time the Cedar County News has earned one of the honors.
Judges said this year's World-Herald Community Service Award winners demonstrated the impact and effectiveness newspapers can have in their communities. Winning entries focused on initiative, editorial leadership, and the extra effort expended to accomplish a meaningful goal or project.
The judges were particularly impressed with the Cedar County News' involvement in promoting the Hartington Veterans' Memorial.
Judges also commented on the Hartington newspaper's efforts to keep the memory of two important former Hartington residents alive by presenting the Gov. Charlie Thone Leadership award and the Joan Burney Communicator of the Year award each year to a high school student.
"It is very humbling to be recognized by your peers for simply doing what any good newspaper does — supporting and promoting the community they live in," said Cedar County News co-Publisher Peggy Year.
Other Community Service award winners were: the North Platte Telegraph, the Aurora News-Register, Orchard/Neligh Antelope Co. News and the Stanton Register.
The awards were handed out at the Nebraska Press Association’s 2021 annual Better Newspaper Contest, and Special Awards winners were announced through a June 17 ‘virtual’ online video presentation.
More than 3,100 separate entries, representing nine dailies and 66 weeklies, were judged by members of the Kentucky Press Association.
In all, the Cedar County News garnered 23 awards — 16 awards for its print edition and seven awards for its multiple digital products.
One other Northeast Nebraska News Company newspaper — the Randolph Times — also picked up honors at the annual contest.
The Randolph newspaper earned a firstplace award for its website and a thirdplace award for a digital ad designed by graphic artist Raelynn Schmit. Schmit also coordinates the Randolph Times web page coverage.
The Cedar County News won a total of nine first-place awards. The first-place plaques were for:
• Retail ad idea competition for the annual Shop at Home section the News publishes each December.
• Sports feature photo by News photographer Jeremy Buss for a shot he took of the Wynot girls basketball team celebrating another state title.
• Sports page: For a special section the News published previewing the upcoming State Girls Basketball Tournaments.
• Sports reporting for a story the news wrote about a dramatic come-from-behind win by Hartington-Newcastle over Osmond
• Best editorial: For editorials written by Publishers Rob Dump and Peggy Year that urged area residents to attend public budg hearings for local governmental entities, an for editorials that touched on controversy over the outcome of the national election.
• Best Video Report: For a video put together by Rob Dump and Kellyn Dump, featuring area dairy farmer John Steffen.
• 1 Best Digital ad: A series of ads honoring area veterans put together by Rob Dump and Raelynn Schmit.
• 1 Class B Digital sweepstakes award
• Class B Omaha World Herald Community Service award.
The Nebraska Press Association is the trade association representing the 14 daily and 141 weekly newspapers in Nebraska.
The News also won nine second-place awards and five third-place plaques.
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