Macleod Gazette editor Frank McTighe won a third-place award in the Canadian Community Newspaper Awards for best feature photo for this shot of dancer Taya Boot.
The Macleod Gazette received eight awards — including Best All-Around Newspaper — in a national newspaper contest.
News Media Canada on Monday announced the winners of the 2024 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards.
The Gazette placed first for Best All-Around Newspaper for newspapers with a circulation up to 1,499.
“Wonderful paper,” the judge wrote of the Gazette. “The community is lucky to have this paper. It addresses local issues well and offers a full range of coverage.”
The Gazette also placed first for Best Editorial Page in the same category.
It was a similar result in the Best Front Page competition, with the Gazette placing first.
Gazette editor Frank McTighe received a second-place award for Best Feature Story for his piece on the ham radio club’s field day at the Lions Campground.
“Setting the ham operators against the background of floods and wildfires makes it real, relevant to readers, especially in Alberta,” the judge wrote. “An easy storytelling style. Good use of sources’ anecdotes and interviews. Good collection of voices. Good front page picture. Nice secondary picture inside. Well done connecting the emergencies that are in the front of readers’ minds to the value of ham operators.”
McTighe received a third-place award for Best Historical Story for his story on the end of an era for the MAE Belles.
“The closing down of this incredible group of ladies is a sad report on not only the group itself, but the state of volunteerism as a whole,” the judge wrote. “This reader actually got a little teary while reading this piece, as they sound like a great group. It’s also been the only piece in this category to elicit a laugh! This story will be repeated more often in the future if volunteers don’t come forward to continue the ‘good old days’ when neighbour helped neighbour.”
In the photography competition, McTighe earned a first-place award for Best Photo Essay for his coverage of Open Farm Days at Windy Rafters.
“Congratulations on an exceptional photo essay,” the judge wrote. “The powerful imagery and storytelling capture the essence of the community.”
McTighe also received a third-place award for Best Feature Photo for his image of Taya Boot dancing to the song Volcano at the Cindy Gray Dance Showcase.
“While the dark lighting took off a few marks, that’s what the photographer had to work with yet grabbed a great dance action shot on the stage,” the judge commented. “Had to draw on their tech skills to make it work.”
The Gazette received a third-place award for Best Community Newspaper Web site.
“The Macleod Gazette is a solid local Web site, with an extremely simple design that allows readers to find information quickly and easily,” the judge wrote. “The breakdown of the Web site is well done since it has stories, e-editions, events and dropdown tabs that are very easy to access. By keeping everything simple, it makes the Web site easy to use.”
