Eagle named among top papers in the state
Bigfork Eagle
The Bigfork Eagle earned recognition Saturday as the best newspaper in Montana among weeklies and dailies with a circulation under 7,500.
The Eagle won the coveted Thomas Dimsdale Sweepstakes Award in the Montana Newspaper Association's 2009 Better Newspaper Contest. This was in addition to a sweepstakes award for best newspaper and more than two dozen other accolades in its division. For all but the Dimsdale award, the Eagle was judged against fellow weekly newspapers in the state with circulations of less than 1,500. The awards were announced at a banquet Saturday in Bozeman at the newspaper association's annual convention. The New Mexico Press Association judged the 2009 contest.
Judges described the Eagle as "a good, solid newspaper for a small community. [It] covers all the bases."
The Eagle staff as a whole took firsts in best overall design and composition, best online news product and best sports pages; second in best editorial page design; and a third place tie in general excellence.
The staff also earned first-place recognition for a special section on the Bigfork Summer Playhouse's 50th anniversary.
Sports and outdoors reporter Jordan Dawson took home a slew of first places including best sports column writing, best sports event coverage for her story on the 2009 girls basketball team's experience at the Class A State Tournament, and best environmental and natural resource reporting for her article on local peregrine falcons. She also took home a first place award for best sports picture for a shot of Vikings running back Travis Knoll pushing through Plains defenders in Bigfork's first football win in 28 games.
Dawson also received third places for best sports feature story and best outdoors reporting as well as an honorable mention for best health, fitness and science reporting.
Current managing editor Jasmine Linabary won first place for best education reporting for her story on five retired teachers returning to work in the Title I program in the Bigfork School District.
She also earned second place for best personality feature story for her article on Bigfork resident and international violinist Wai Mizutani and an honorable mention in the best business/economy and technology reporting category.
Linabary and former managing editor Alex Strickland received first-place recognition for best government reporting for their collective coverage of the adoption of the Bigfork Neighborhood Plan and controversy surrounding a last-minute change to the future land use map.
Strickland, who left the paper in September, also took first place for best agricultural reporting for his story last July on the Flathead cherry season.
He took second place for best outdoor activity photo for his wide shot of the 2009 Whitewater Festival
He also won third places in best personality feature story, best business/economy and technology reporting, best health, fitness and science reporting, best spot news picture, best photo essay and best outdoors and nature photo.
Two other former staff members also contributed to the Eagle's wins. Former reporter Jacob Doran won first place for best outdoors and nature photo for his "View from the top" image of mountain goats, and former graphic artist Bonni Pedersen took first place for best single ad with spot color.