For the second year, the Kinder Courier was recognized as one of the top three winners for newspaper excellence in Division Four when the results of the 2020 Louisiana Press Association Better Newspaper Competition winners were announced Tuesday, June 1.
The top honors in this division went to the Pointe Coupee Banner. Second and third place, respectively, went to the Ville Platte Gazette and Kinder Courier, both owned by the Louisiana State Newspapers company.
Forty-four LPA member publications, along with college and university student newspapers, submitted 973 entries in five divisions.
In its division (Four), the staff of the Kinder Courier won the General Excellence, third place, and:
•Staff Generated Ad, first place.
•Best Advertising Campaign, second place.
•Best Multiple Ad page, second place.
•Best Special Section, first place.
Other wins included:
• Raymond Partsch III, sports writer, Best Sports Story, third place.
•Rebekah Ogea and Jessica Richard, Best News Photos, third place.
•Carissa Hebert, editor, Best Breaking News Story, first place; Best News Story, second place; and Best Layout and Design, the Gary Hebert Award, third place.
The designation for the Newspaper of the Year is based on the number of points earned in the Better Newspaper Competition for 2020. Kinder finished third in its division as Newspaper of the Year.
Publisher Garland Forman commended his staff at the Kinder Courier for working hard and possessing a willingness to learn new skills every day in an attempt to improve on each edition of the newspaper.
