The Jasper Fitzhugh was recently recognized with four awards handed out this month by the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association (AWNA).
In the 2023 Photographic Awards, the Fitzhugh won first place in the Human Interest category for the “Unveiling Murals” photo taken by Scott Hayes.
“First place goes to the photo by Scott Hayes,” the judge’s comments stated, “though a better angle or lens selection might have made this an even better photo. There’s a lot going on here.”
The photo depicts Della Senz arriving in regal style for the unveiling of a mural on a two-storey wall featuring her portrait created by Alex Kwong for the second annual UpLift! Jasper Mural Festival.
Senz is the famous long-time resident who still lives in her house amid Jasper’s business district because she refused to sell it to developers.
This photo was chosen out of 32 entries.
The Fitzhugh also got first place in the Multi Photo Layout category for “Jasper in January had ‘em dancing in the street” by Jason Stockfish.
As the title suggests, the photo spread depicts the fun happenings at night during the annual Street Party for Jasper in January.
“The Jasper in January layout is striking and colourful and eye-catching. The photos are varied; there was a lot happening that night,” the judge’s comments stated.
This multi-photo layout won out of 34 entries.
Scott Hayes was recognized again with an honourable mention in the Best Feature Story by Local Writer category of the Better Newspaper Competition.
This was specifically for his article about NASA testing a robotic snake on the Athabasca Glacier.
“Fascinating story!” the judge’s comments stated. “The writer beautifully translates a complex scientific topic for a general audience. That’s a tough task but the writer made it look easy.”
Finally, our paper won first place for Best House Ad in the Better Newspaper Competition.
Designed by Melissa Morris, our winning ad was “Sign Up For Our Newsletter!” and encouraged readers to sign up for our newsletter.
“In response to Canada’s on-line news act, Meta blocked access to news on Facebook and Instagram for Canadians,” the judge’s comments noted.
“Many smaller publishers saw their website traffic decrease dramatically. Melissa from the Jasper Fitzhugh created this compelling call to action in order to remind readers that the news could be delivered directly to their inbox on a daily basis. Excellent initiative.”
We couldn’t have won these awards without the support of our loyal readers and valued clients who regularly book ads in our publication.
