Leader-News recognized for general excellence in news and advertising

The staff of the Leader-News brought home big wins from the 2022 Kentucky Press Association annual awards banquet, held at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington on Jan. 27. The newspaper racked up 18 wins for advertising and 15 for news.

Wins across categories made it possible for the news staff to be awarded a second place for general excellence. A first place for general excellence was awarded to the advertising staff.

Coverage of the Dec. 2021 tornado dominated the evening, with papers in Mayfield and Bowling Green being awarded for their coverage. Leader-News staff picked up several wins for the coverage of the disaster in Bremen, with a first place for the front page just days after the storm, third place for breaking news coverage, and first place for on-going coverage.

A special section with photos and history of buildings that burned in downtown Greenville earned a second place award for Stacie Barton and David Grant. Aerial photos from Greg Lamb also brought the tragedy to life.

A picture essay in the Dec. 14, 2021 edition of the paper was awarded a first place win, with photos from Barton, Grant and Lamb showing the devastation from the tornado.

Barton also won second place for a breaking news photo of firefighters in the early morning sun on April 7, as they battled the downtown Greenville blaze, and another second place for a feature photo of Quinton Jordan as he released an owl into the wild.

Sports photographer Steve Smith was awarded several wins for his exceptional eye, including a first place for a sports photo essay featuring the Muhlenberg County High School boys basketball team celebrating their 3rd Region win in March.

The design team of Lucretia Kittinger and Angela Wilson, along with Smith’s photos, brought a first place win for the paper’s annual Hoops Preview section, featuring the upcoming high school basketball season.

Barton also took third place for editorial writing, and second place for editorial page design.

Kittinger dominated the advertising division, bringing home a first place win for general excellence, the second in two years for the paper.

Kittinger finished first for ads featuring Malone Home Center, Noffsinger Physical Therapy, Bickett Farms, Farmer’s Bank and Trust, and her cover of the Hoops Preview section. She also placed second in six categories and third in six categories.

The Leader-News competes in the Weekly Division 3 for news and Weekly 2 division for advertising, which is based on circulation size.

The Kentucky Press Association is one of the nation’s oldest press associations, founded in 1869. Along with recognizing the work of newspapers in the commonwealth, the association strives to maintain a high code of ethics among all journalists, enhance the usefulness of the newspaper industry and provide legal and lobbying assistance to members.