Chattanooga Times Free Press wins five top awards in contest

Friday, January 1, 1904

The Times Free Press on Friday won 24 awards, including five first-place plaques, at the Tennessee Press Association's 2012 newspaper awards ceremony in Nashville.

The contest, co-sponsored by the University of Tennessee, was judged by the Texas Press Association. Award winners were picked from among 1,401 entries from 73 newspapers statewide.

The Times Free Press won first-place awards for:

• Local Features, a staff award.

• Best Personal Column, for "Kids with homeless heartache," by Features Editor Mark Kennedy.

• Best News Photograph, for "Saving Mary," by photographer Angela Lewis.

• Best Sports Photograph, for "Dade salvages," also by Lewis.

• Best Promotion of Newspapers, for an ad campaign called "News revolution."

The newspaper won nine second-place awards for:

• Best Personal Column, "You're so very, very grounded," also by Kennedy.

• Best Spot News Coverage, "Catastrophic," a newsroom staff award for coverage of the spring 2011 tornadoes in the Tennessee Valley.

• Best News Reporting, also for "Catastrophic."

• Best Headline Writing, a staff award.

• Best News Photograph, "Deadly day of storms," a photography staff award.

• Best Special Issue or Section, "Chattanooga Now," a newsroom staff award.

• Best Website, for www.timesfreepress.com.

• Best Graphics/Illustrations, an art staff award.

• Best Education Reporting, a newsroom staff award.

The newspaper won five third-place awards for:

• Makeup and Appearance, a design staff award.

• Best Single Feature, "Saving Mary," by Pam Sohn.

• Best Editorials, a selection of entries by Times Editorial Page Editor Harry Austin.

• Public Service, tornado coverage, newsroom staff.

• Sports writing (staff).