This past weekend, the Gazette was honored with first and second place awards at the Better Newspapers Contest held by the South Dakota NewsMedia Association (SDNA).
"We work hard to bring you high-quality content and information every week," said Gazette Editor Garrick Moritz. "It's nice to be recognized by a cohort of your peers for that work."
Carrie Moritz of the Gazette took first place in two coveted categories in newspapers with a circulation under 1,300: Best Feature (Profile) and Best Feature (Non-Profile). She took second place in the Best Sports Photo category.
           The stories that garnered the awards were "Dreckmans face adversity with hope and community support" and "Drawing the line - vigilante justice versus neighborhood watch."
"I would like to thank those who willingly gave their interviews and allowed me to feature their stories or bring up their issues," said C. Moritz. "I could not have done this without them."
"Dreckmans face adversity" covered the challenges experienced by 2-year-old Carter Dreckman and his parents as they navigate living with a rare disease, CTNNB1 Syndrome, which only affects around 500 people worldwide.
"Drawing the line" took a look at the differences between possible vigilante justice on social media versus being a neighborhood watch, and why vigilante posts may be dangerous.
"Wonderful in-depth article, well written. Enjoyed reading it," wrote a judge.
Moritz has taken first place in both categories before, in 2022 and 2020, but not both at the same time.
C. Moritz' photo, "Goalie Collision" impressed the judges as they took in the split-second capture of action just before a soccer player collides with Blue Dragon goalie Cortney Rogich.
The Better Newspaper Contest is a part of the annual SDNA Convention, a multi-day educational event that allows local newspaper owners, editors, writers, and employees to come together to learn how to improve their products, network, and generate ideas. This year, the convention featured information on how A.I. could impact newsrooms, best ideas to generate local stories, and how SDNA is embracing different news models in South Dakota.
