Jamestown Sun receives 59 awards at North Dakota Newspaper Association convention

May 11, 2024 at 6:30 AM

The Jamestown Sun received 59 news and advertising awards in the annual North Dakota Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, which were presented at the NDNA annual convention in Bismarck on May 3.

The newspaper competes in the multi-day small circulation category which includes the Devils Lake Journal, The Dickinson Press, Valley City Times-Record, Wahpeton Daily News and Williston Herald.

The awards were for work done in the 2023 year.

The Jamestown Sun received second in the General Excellence category, which evaluates all aspects of the newspaper. First place was awarded to The Dickinson Press, and third place went to the Wahpeton Daily News.

The Jamestown Sun received first place for Best Website, second place for Overall Design Excellence and third place for special news section for the annual Progress Edition, “Business, Workforce, Retention,” featuring manufacturers and other businesses in Jamestown.

Editor Kathy Steiner received five awards:

First place:

For The Jamestown Sun’s Opinion page
For an editorial, “ Jamestown has no shortage of jobs ”
Feature series: for stories on firefighters Kim Schrenk and Jack Meikle of the Jamestown Rural Fire Department and Amanda Hecker of the Jamestown Fire Department

Second place:

Business news reporting, for a story on “ Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center opening in Jamestown”

Third place:

Feature reporting, for a story on the Living is Giving nonprofit founded by Christine and Tim Burchill, “ Jamestown couple’s retirement takes an unexpected return ”

Reporter Masaki Ova received eight awards.

First place:

Reporting series, for a series of stories on the Jamestown Public School District’s investigation into a racial taunting incident
Spot news, for a story on Jamestown Area Ambulance and city street department employees making preparations for a potential heavy snowfall event

Second place:

Government reporting, for a story about a Stutsman County commissioner questioning the state’s attorney’s time management
Feature reporting, for a story about the Stutsman County emergency manager/911 coordinator’s social media posts with illustrations of what to expect with incoming snowstorms and being included in apparel

Third place:

Agricultural coverage, for a story about a fertilizer plant that could locate near Spiritwood, North Dakota
Business news reporting, for a story about Applied Digital Corp. breaking ground on its first 100-megawatt high-performance computing facility about 1 mile west of Ellendale, North Dakota
Government series, for a series of stories about the state Legislature’s passage of a bill that requires public libraries to develop a policy and process for reviewing library collections, including the removal or relocation of explicit sexual material

Honorable mention:

Reporting, for a story about a city of Jamestown employee who helped get a family out of a burning home

Sports awards:

The Jamestown Sun’s sports pages received a first place award.

katie ringer mug sun employee (1).jpg — Katie Ringer

Sports reporter Katie Ringer earned three awards:

First place:

Sports reporting, for a story on Ella Falk, a Jamestown High School basketball player, who broke two school records

Second place:

Sports series, for three stories on the Jamestown High School Hall of Fame Class of 2023

Third place:

Sports feature, for a story on the Valley City State University volleyball team and their connections to Class B prep volleyball in North Dakota

Max O'Neill Sports Reporter 010324 (1).jpg — Max O'Neill

Max O’Neill earned three awards:

First place:

Sports series, for a series of stories on the University of Jamestown athletic department moving up to the NCAA Division II level in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

Second place:

Sports reporting, for a story on the Jimmies beating Valley City State University , giving UJ head baseball coach Tom Hager his 800th win

Honorable mention:

Sports feature, for a story on Carrington’s Logan Weninger winning the 400-meter race at the 2023 NDHSAA State Championships by 0.03 seconds

Photographer John M. Steiner received nine awards:

First place:

Spot news, for a photo of a fire at Medina
News photo, for a photo of a UPS truck in a tunnel of snow
Feature photo, for a photo of a young child in the stands at a Jamestown High School volleyball game
Portrait photo, for a photo of Mason Walters shooting a basketball during a basketball game for the University of Jamestown
Pictorial photo, for a photo of a small raccoon climbing up a utility pole and facing the camera
Agricultural photo, for a photo of pumpkins

Second place:

Sports photo, for a photo of a Dickinson girls wrestling coach lying on the ground while coaching
Picture story, for photos of delicate looking ice
Outdoor recreation photo, for a photo of a person walking at Jamestown Reservoir in November

Advertising awards

The award listings include the names of Forum Communications Co. employees who helped create the ads.