Staff at the Eagle Valley News/Salmon Arm Observer have once again been recognized for their achievements – in a big way.
This past weekend both the BC and Yukon Community Newspapers Association (BCYCNA) and the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) held their annual awards banquets in Vancouver. The News and the Observer brought home a grand total of six gold awards and two bronze.
In the BCYCNA competition, Lachlan Labere received a gold medal in the feature photo, under 25,000 circulation category, for his poignant photo in the News of four young girls observing Remembrance Day ceremonies in Sicamous.
Labere received a second gold for the same photo in the CCNA competition, this one in the feature photo, under 4,000 circulation category.
Also in the CCNAs, Labere took a third gold medal, this one in the feature story, circulation under 4,000 category, for his article in the Eagle Valley News profiling convicted Sicamous drug dealer Colin Martin.
In the BCYCNAs, the Observer received a gold medal in its circulation category in general excellence, with the Agassiz-Harrison Observer taking silver and the Hope Standard, bronze.
James Murray garnered two awards in the BCYCNA competition. He was awarded a gold for sports photo, circulation under 25,000, for his shot of a bull rider narrowly avoiding being trampled by a bull. The bronze came in the spot news, under 25,000 circulation category, for the photo of RCMP arresting a robbery suspect on the railway tracks in Salmon Arm.
In the CCNAs, Martha Wickett took gold in the business writing, under 10,000 circulation category, for her special report in the Observer on the apple industry in Salmon Arm.
Tracy Hughes was awarded a bronze medal in the local editorial under 4,000 circulation category for her editorial on a tragic speedboat and houseboat collision on Shuswap Lake last July.
Publisher Rick Proznick commended staff, saying the awards speak to their dedication and skill.
“I am proud of the level of excellence our staff achieve. While it is good to get recognition from peers, staff do what they do daily, not for awards, but because they want to put out the best newspapers possible for our readers. It is gratifying to be recognized for that commitment.”