REGIONAL—The Timberjay continued its award-winning tradition in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, winning 12 awards, including four first place awards, across a wide range of categories. The awards were presented during the MNA’s 158th annual convention, held in Brooklyn Park late last week. The MNA received close to 4,000 entries in this year’s contest.
Marshall Helmberger won first place in the Herman Roe Editorial Writing Award, given to the best editorial overall among weekly newspapers of 1,500-3,000 circulation, for his editorial on Alden Capital, a venture capital firm that has bought up, stripped, and later shuttered newspapers all across the country.
“This editorial pulls no punches and calls out one of the biggest problems in journalism today. We’ve all seen greedy owners use us for profits while slashing our ability to properly do our job. It’s nice to see a newspaper take a stand against that,” wrote the judges.
The Timberjay also won first place for Editorial Page as a Whole.
“This is what a local newspaper’s editorial pages should look like,” wrote the judges. “The Timberjay staff provides its readers with a consistent mix of thoughtful local editorials and columns. The paper is also an open forum for its readers to express their own opinions and it is easily apparent many do just that.” Helmberger also took second place for best Editorial Portfolio among all weekly newspapers. “The editorials are thought-provoking and appeal to the hometown and beyond,” wrote the judges.
Timberjay editor David Colburn won honors for Best Human Interest Story, for his story on Chuck Goggleye and his dedication to the recovery of his late son Matthew after a tragic accident. “Wonderful story - I felt as if I were part of the interview. It captured a father’s love and his hope for his son’s recovery,” commented the judges.
Colburn’s story about a new handicap-accessible resort, North of North, won second place in the Business Feature category.
Helmberger’s investigative feature, High Price for Clean Water, took second place in the Best Investigative category.
“The Timberjay did a great service for its readers with this thoughtful and aggressive analysis of an important environmental issue. Probing questions and a variety of voices helped flesh out the issues and make it clear to policymakers that the press is watching and looking out for people’s pocketbooks and evaluating whether tax dollars are being used appropriately.”
Helmberger’s story on the ongoing saga of Trygg Road residents, “Is There a Fix for the Flats,” was honored in the Hard News category.
Graphic designer Scarlet Stone won first place for Best Use of Color in Advertising for her full-page Valentine’s ad in 2024.
The paper’s photography took four awards, with Colburn’s sports photography singled out in the Sports Photography category.
“Just pure violence in a way you don’t see in a basketball game that often. Great expression on the players faces. Just a really great photo.”
The Timberjay also was recognized for Use of Photography as a Whole, Best Magazine Cover for its Go Lake Country summer visitors guide, and Photo Story.