It was a generally excellent night for The Dahlonega Nugget at the annual Georgia Press Association Awards last Friday as the local newspaper took top honors for the year, including 17 individual awards and an elusive first place for General Excellence. Nugget Publisher John Bynum said all the hard work of the newspaper’s staff is truly heartfelt.
“It’s a huge honor to take the top spot in the state among all newspapers of our circulation size,” Bynum said. “Just as in previous years, we were up against some tough competition, so it’s especially nice to earn first place!”
He said the support of the readers has always been the secret to The Nugget’s success.
“We’re grateful to live in a community that has so many vibrant aspects. From downtown festivals and amazing schools, to local sports success stories and non-profits, there are many things that Dahlonega is known for,” Bynum said. But it’s the enthusiasm of the readers that makes writing about it worth while.”
The Nugget name was called again and again in the halls of a packed Morgan Center at Jekyll Island Hotel as staff members took first place spots for a broad range of reporting-related categories.
While the paper has netted a third place General Excellence honor in recent years, this is the first time in recent memory that the overall award went to The Nugget.
Executive Editor Matt Aiken was on hand to receive the award and admitted he was getting nervous towards the end of the ceremony before the big announcement was made.
“I tried to play it cool,” he said. “But I really, really wanted to win first for General Excellence. It means a lot. We work so hard and this is the ultimate team award. It’s like the Lombardi Trophy of community journalism.”
TOP HONORS
Fellow staff writers Keith Murden and Eligha Roper were called to the front stage as well as they earned top honors for their work.
Roper netted first place in the highly competitive category of Sports Section as judges from the Texas Press Association compared his coverage to the work of a top athletic prospect.
“I used a numbered scale in judging and these guys got a perfect score,” stated the judge. “If this sports section was a baseball player, it would be a five-tool player. Solid on all fronts—writing, range of coverage, photography, layout, etc. Job well done.”
Murden received first place for News Photograph for his memorable front page parade shot which found a smiling Quataunda Armstrong as the focal point.
“The smiles and the flags make the photo,” said the judge. “Excellent detail.”
Aiken received first place awards for Serious Column Writing and Feature Writing.
“Feature writing style is on point,” said the judge. “From the first sentence to the last I was interested and invested in the topic. As a reader, this writer’s articles would be ones that I would seek out to read. In fact, I read the articles he wrote on the other submission from this newspaper because I wanted to see more.”
The Nugget nearly swept the top spots of the Serious Column category as local contributor David Zunker came away with a well earned third place result.
“Solid writing, lovely conversational tone,” said the judge. “Good musings on community that give the reader a strong sense of place.”
Other awards included a first place finish for The Nugget’s Page One design, which caught the attention of the judges panel.
“The Dahlonega Nugget's front page isn't just a solid effort that's easy to follow and pleasing to the eye, it's also loaded down with multiple entry points,” stated the judge. “Teases and incentives to dig deeper abound. Very nice work.”
Staff also received individual awards in Layout and Design for Bynum; Feature Photograph for Roper and Aiken; and Education Writing and Best Magazine Commentary for Murden.
The Nugget also received awards for Editorial Page, Editorial Writing, Business Writing and Headline Writing.
Bynum offered congrats to everyone at The Nugget.
Our team is made up of true professionals. In addition to what subscribers read in each edition, our office staff, including Marketing Consultant Carrie Bennett and Office Manager Chauna Utterback help us make a great newspaper every week,” Bynum said. “And all our reporters and photographers work very hard and deserve all the Georgia Press accolades they received!”