KP News Wins Eight Awards in Statewide Competition

First place awards went to photography and design, with more honors to news and opinion writing for the second year in a row. 

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The Key Peninsula News received eight awards for writing, photography and advertising in the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2019 Better Newspaper Contest at its 132nd annual meeting Oct. 11 in Olympia.

The WNPA presents awards in several categories for work published the previous 12 months. For 2018-19, 58 newspapers submitted 1,889 entries judged by panels of out-of-state journalists.

Associate Editor Ted Olinger won second place in the long news story category for “Henderson Bay Drowning” (Feb. 2019) and third place in government reporting for “The McCleary Effect” (March 2019).

Carolyn Wiley was a returning winner this year, taking second place for her ongoing humor column Devil's Head Diary in all four competing divisions, including papers with circulations greater than 12,500. Newcomer Phyllis Henry won third place for her general interest column Coast to Coast.

Richard Miller won first place for his photo of Don Zimmerman in the color feature photography category (August 2018) and Jim Bellamy took second in the same category for his shot of Burley Lagoon at sunset (November 2018).

First place for a color photo essay went to Jim Bellamy, Ed Johnson, Richard Hildahl, Richard Miller, Joseph Pentheroudakis and Production Designer Tim Heitzman for his layout of Out & About (April 2018).

Heitzman also won second place across all four divisions for best design in an ad campaign for KP Community Services.

“We are unique,” said Sara Thompson, KP News editorial board president and regular contributor. “None of the other papers are nonprofit, and none depend on volunteer writers and photographers. Our executive editor, Lisa Bryan, is passionate and deeply knowledgeable about the KP and she has been an incredible leader for all the contributors who help make the KP News what it is today.”

Founded in 1887, the WNPA represents more than 100 community newspapers across the state dedicated to and advocating for local news and “a high standard of publication quality and community leadership,” according to its mission statement.

KP News competed against other newspapers with a circulation of less than 12,500, though Heitzman and Wiley both won awards competing against the largest weeklies and dailies in the WNPA.

“With the incredible support of Tim Heitzman to help run the business and graphic design aspect of the paper, Ted Olinger’s continued work as an editor, and Joseph Pentheroudakis as webmaster and Facebook administrator, we have an unbeatable team,” Thompson said.


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