The Independent Wins At NYPA

The Independent was honored with 21 awards at the New York Press Association 2018 Better Newspaper Contest Awards in Albany over the weekend. The Independent was up against more than 160 daily and weekly newspapers throughout New York State and over 2743 entries.

The Independent was recognized with five first-place awards and was ranked third place in the Top Five Single Flag Newspapers and second place in the Top Five Newspapers for total editorial contest points. The Independent also picked up four second-place awards, four third-place awards, and six honorable mentions. Prizes were awarded in the highest circulation division in the state.

The Independent received an honorable mention for the most prestigious award in the design category: the Richard L. Stein Award for Overall Design Excellence. The judges noted, “The front page, arts and entertainment section, and features really popped out on this entry.”

First-place editorial awards went to editors Jessica Mackin-Cipro and Bridget LeRoy, who took home the gold for their overall work in Coverage of the Arts, and to staff writer T.E. McMorrow, who won first place for Best News Story, titled “Deportations Of Those Convicted Of Crimes Ramp Up.” The article included the stories of five East End men that Immigration and Customs Enforcement wanted to deport from the country.

Included in The Independent’s first-place awards were the categories of cartoons and photography. First place for Best Editorial Cartoon went to author/illustrator Karen Fredericks for her weekly turn, “Is it Just Me?” First-place photography awards went to Michael Heller for Best Spot News Photo and to Peggy Spellman Hoey for Best Sports Action Photo. The award winner by Heller was of a fire in East Hampton and the award-winning photo by Spellman Hoey was of an ocean lifeguard tournament at Main Beach in East Hampton.

Second-place awards include Best Large Space Ad and Best Online Dynamic Ad by Ty Wenzel; Best Obituaries by Bridget LeRoy and Jessica Mackin-Cipro (for articles on Joe Pintauro and on Gerson and Judith Lieber, respectively); and Picture Story by Ed Gifford.

Third-place awards included Sports Action Photos by Gordon M. Grant; Spot News Coverage by Peggy Spellman Hoey; Art Photo by Ed Gifford; and Best House Ad/Ad Campaign by Ty Wenzel.

Honorable mentions also included Best Public Service or Non-Profit Special Section; Picture Story by Justin Meinken; Feature Photos and Sports Feature Photos by Gordon M. Grant; and Spot News Photos by Ed Gifford.