Journal-Spectator wins awards at 81st Annual STPA convention

The Wharton Journal- Spectator was presented three awards Saturday in Corpus Christi during the 81st Annual South Texas Press Association Convention.

The Journal-Spectator competed in the semi-weekly newspaper division that had at least a dozen newspapers from South and Central Texas entered in the contest.

The Journal-Spectator advertising and production staff claimed a third place in the "Best Advertising" contest. The judge wrote of Journal-Spectator advertising: "Nice, clean layout. Good ad design."

Former news editor Ron Sanders claimed a third place in the "Humorous Columns" category for the newspaper. The judge really liked Sanders' column titled "Coal, the future of the auto industry." "What a cool idea!," the judge wrote.

General Excellence is possibly the most coveted award given since it covers every aspect of the newspaper, from photos to news and feature stories to display and classified advertising to page design.

Your Journal-Spectator staff received an Honorable Mention (4th place) in the General Excellence category.

Publisher Chris Barbee, a past president of the STPA, attended the convention and accepted the awards on behalf of the newspaper.

Judges were members of the Arkansas Press Association.