The Canadian Record earned a stack of plaques and general excellence honors in the Panhandle Press Association’s 2020 Better Newspaper Contest awards ceremony, held last weekend in Amarillo.

The Record staff collected 11 first-place and two secondplace plaques for its work during what Laurie Ezzell Brown described as one of the most difficult years in her nearly three decades as editor and publisher.

“The last year and a half has challenged all of us in ways we can’t fully fathom yet,” Brown said. “Small businesses have struggled to survive, and many have done so through self-sacrifice and perseverance and sheer ingenuity. Educators and medical providers, and the institutions they serve, have been strained to the breaking point by this devastating pandemic, but have selflessly continued to provide for the most essential public needs, often at risk to their own health. We have all lost loved ones, and have watched those we love suffer from fear and isolation, and from illness and almost unimaginable loss.”

“Citizens in communities like ours have proven, once again, that even in the most politically divisive and economically challenging times, we can and will take care of each other,” Brown continued. “And journalists across the country and around the globe have continued to document these stories—from the tragic to triumphant—to inform the public and to call attention to the problems we all face, even when the news they deliver is dismissed as fake and fraudulent.”

“We have done our best to tell those stories, as well, and are pleased to have that work acknowledged by our peers, and so generously supported by our advertisers and readers,” she concluded. “This staff works its tails off every week to get that job done, and I am deeply grateful to every single one of them.”

The Record was awarded top honors for Brown’s News Writing. A report on social media issues confronting school trustees was deemed “fair, even-handed writing,” and another on the Class of ‘20’s wind-blown graduation ceremony was termed “poignant and clever writing.”

Another first-place plaque was awarded for Features written by Brown and former staff member Alison Kennedy, whose “Falina, the Donkey” feature was praised for its “great profile of both Falina and her human, Tamara.” Brown’s “Grrrrrrl Power” feature was applauded for its “thorough look at female footballers…[with] not a wasted word,” and “Three Lives,” one of a three-part series on COVID victims, was simply “great writing.”

Cheri Smith garnered first place for Advertising Design— which earned a “Wow!” from the judge, who praised her design work and original content. “You made me want to shop at the stores, drink coffee, and sign up to play baseball!” the judge commented. Smith also earned a first-place plaque for the newspaper’s website @canadianrecord.com, and shared first-place honors with Kennedy and the rest of the staff for The Record’s Fall Foliage Special Edition. Kennedy’s community pages also earned a first-place Lifestyles Award for great coverage and interesting content.

The Record swept all three categories of photography competition with top honors for Best Sports, News, and Human Interest Photos by Brown, Kennedy, and Alan Hale, whose images of basketballer Mattie Boyd in action, Josh Culwell tearing up yardage with the help of a key block from Max Flores, and Coach Chris Koetting being showered with a bucket of ice water after the Cats’ 33-6 semifinal victory over Gunter were all praised for their great impact. Kennedy’s midnight dead line-hour photo of the Palace Theatre sign announcing its temporary closing earned the judge’s comment, “This says it all #COVID. I would buy this photo.”

Brown also earned first-place awards in Serious Columns and Best Editorials. In a Field Notes column headlined “Lifelines,” chronicling the activity of birds, squirrels, and hummingbirds in her backyard, and comparing it to the perils faced, and overcome, by students, parents, teachers, and administrators during the school year just ended, was praised for its “spot-on analogy.” Another column about young horse trainer extraordinaire Rankin Proffitt, headlined “Best Interview Ever,” drew the judge’s full-hearted agreement, and this admission: “Yes…I did watch him on Facebook!” Brown’s editorials were considered informative, clear, and frank commentary on local issues.

Record sportswriter Kale Steed earned second place in Sports Writing for his coverage of the Wildcat football team’s dramatic drive to the state championship. The Record earned another second-place award for its Headline Writing.

Record Business Manager Mary Smithee, who is also a member of the PPA board of directors, collected the awards, which were presented at the close of the two-day convention, during which attendees enjoyed an evening at Hodgetown, watching the Amarillo Sod Poodles beat Frisco 7-4; and swapped ideas, traded stories, and wrestled ethics issues in workshops; capped by Russell Viers who provided several “Wow, I didn’t know that!” moments in his the always-brilliant-and-entertaining Adobe Photoshop and InDesign training series.

Longtime Texas Spur publishers, Grady Joe Harrison and Jo Ann Pirtle Harrison, were the 2021 inductees into the PPA Hall of Fame. West Texas A&M University hosted a welcome reception at their just-opened, state-of-the-art downtown Amarillo Business Center, and WTA&M president, Dr. Walter Wendler, spoke at the Hall of Fame luncheon.