The Dublin Citizen team took home 13 awards in the North and East Texas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Awards were announced Saturday, April 27 in Granbury to conclude NETPA’s 97th annual convention.
“Once again, a professional organization of newspapers has recognized what we already know, that the Dublin Citizen is one of the finest weekly newspapers in the country. I could not be prouder of the talent and dedication of our entire staff. This is a well-deserved recognition,” Publisher of The Dublin Citizen, Brett Wesner said. “For both of our editors to place for a combined category against 41 papers in Journalist and Photographer of the Year shows their dedication to this community and to the craft of journalism.”
For the second year in a row, The Citizen team earned first place in Sweepstakes, which is the contest’s highest honor determined by total number of points earned through first, second, third and fourth place awards. The newspaper competed in the small weekly division judged by a panel of journalists from South Texas.
Editors Wyndi Veigel-Gaudette and Paul Gaudette received first place in feature photo and feature writing.
For feature writing, entries included their coverage on the return of the remains of World War II veteran Noel Shoup and on a feature of the Beukeboom’s dairy legacy.
“What an interesting portrait Paul Gaudette offers on the Beukebooms and their dairy enterprise. It explains a lot about what they do, why they do it and the importance legacy plays in their lives and plans for the future. Well written feature! You have some very strong quotes, so I would recommend incorporating some pull-out quotes into your package. And, what a fascinating story about the WWII veteran finally coming home to rest. Paul Gaudette and Wyndi Veigel really knocked a homerun out of the park on that one. Great job!” judges touted.
In feature photography, entries included a canned food drive pic and a photo of two sisters riding a mechanical bull at Dublin’s Hispanic Heritage Festival.
“I cannot look at the two girls riding the mechanical bull without smiling. They are having fun and it shows, thanks to you. I love that image! Also, the canned food drive is shown from a very creative angle. We see the action framed by, you guessed it -- cans (and lot of them.) Nice work and a great example to all of us who have to cover food drives in our own communities. You showed that what is sometimes an annual or more frequent event can be showcased in a fun and interesting way.
Thank you for that!” judges said.
The newspaper also received first place in the news photography category for shots of a flag-draped coffin photo from Noel Shoup’s funeral and the fire at Veldhuizen Cheese Shop.
“Want to know what makes this paper’s news photos the top in this division? Thoroughness. As photojournalists, we are more than just bystanders recording witness to events happening in our communities. We have to do some legwork, too. While there were other strong news images in this field of competition, it was the thorough job this photographer did on providing details and full names in the captions that pulled this entry into the lead spot. Creative angle on the firefighting image makes it really interesting to spend time on, rather than just a quick glance. Additionally, the photo of the veteran finally being laid to rest back home is poignant. All conveyed complete stories through your imagery. Masterfully done! Congratulations,” judges said.
The Citizen also received a first place award for page design, which included two full editions published in July and November 2023.
“Best page design of the division. Great job on the WWII veteran story. The local agriculture page is well done. We need something like this in our paper,” judges said.
Managing Editor Paul Gaudette also received a first place award for his sports writing and received a second place in sports coverage. He also received a fourth place for sports photography.
For sports writing, entries included a football story about the Lions facing off against Fort Worth Christian and a Lingleville Cardinal basketball playoff story. Judges complimented Gaudette as having a “great writing style.”
On the newspaper’s sports coverage, judges complimented Gaudette on providing nice community coverage with great photos and stories.
Veigel-Gaudette received a third place award for her column writing and the staff received a third place general excellence and third place in headline writing.
Both Gaudette and Veigel-Gaudette received placement in the combined divisions of Journalist of the Year and Photographers of the Year, fourth and third place, respectively.
The duo are the only two from the same newspaper to place in both categories and competed against 41 other papers of varying sizes from daily, semiweekly and weekly.
Judges complimented Gaudette’s writing for being short and to the point as well as having a nice sampling of writing.
For Veigel-Gaudette’s photos, judges appreciated her photo from a bull riding event where a young girl was getting a piggy back ride – bull riding style – from her dad and a fire photo from Veldhuizen Cheese.