Deseret News claims 12 firsts in contest

For the second year, the Deseret News won a prestigious community service award and garnered a general excellence award and 10 other first-place awards in the annual Utah Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

The R. LaVaun Cox Award for community service was awarded to the Deseret News for its "American Olympics" project. Some 10 writers, editors and a photographer were dispatched to Atlanta during the Summer Olympic Games. They combined with key staff members in Salt Lake City to produce a daily package of stories during the Games showed how hosting an Olympics would impact Salt Lake City and Utah. The newspaper won the same award the year earlier for its coverage of Salt Lake's Olympic bid and Games preparations."Incredibly thorough. This project showed a deep commitment on the part of the News. It put readers first. The service it performed for its community was extraordinary,"a judge from the Wyoming Press Association wrote.

The Deseret News' Sept. 19 edition detailing the creation of a new Grand Staircase National Monument rated the paper the Kirby Kirkham Award General Excellence Award among daily newspapers. The (Ogden) Standard-Examiner and (Provo) Daily Herald were runners-up.

The Deseret News and its writers and photographers won the top award in 12 of 19 categories in the daily newspapers division. The Standard-Examiner placed first in seven categories. The Salt Lake Tribune did not enter the contest.

Here is the list of winners among daily newspapers:

The Kirby Kirkman Award, General Excellence. 1. Deseret News; 2. Standard-Examiner, The Daily Herald.

Best Sports Photo. 1. Standard Examiner, Steve Conlin; 2. Deseret News, Gary McKellar; 3. Standard Examiner, S. John Wilken.

Best Sports Page/Section. 1. Deseret News; 2. Standard Examiner; 3. Deseret News.

Best Sports Column. 1. Deseret News, Doug Robinson; 2. Standard Examiner, Jim Wright; 3. Deseret News, tie, Lee Benson and Brad Rock.

Best News Photo 1. Deseret News, Jeffrey Allred; 2. Standard-Examiner, August Miller; 3. Deseret News, Ravell Call.

Best News Series. 1. Standard-Examiner, City - Pioneers to Playgrounds; 2. Deseret News, Trust Lands; 3. Standard-Examiner, West Side Story.

Best News Story. 1. Standard Examiner, Amy Jo Bryson, John Albert Taylor Execution; 2. Deseret News, Amy Donaldson, John Albert Taylor Execution; 3. Deseret News, Chip Parkinson, Grim Tally.