The Macleod Gazette is the best newspaper in its class for the seventh year in a row.
The Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association announced its better Newspapers Competition general excellence winners on Friday.
“Alberta communities should be proud of the journalistic efforts which clearly show the importance of legacy newspapers in the Canadian context,” the judges wrote. “Of note, was the determination of newspaper owners and staff to present lively, well-designed newspapers with compelling advertising, photos, news and commentary.”
The Gazette placed first for Best Overall Newspaper in Class A ahead of Slave Lake Lakeside Leader and Pincher Creek Shootin’ the Breeze.
“Although judging between the papers is a challenging task some of the papers did rise to the top with interesting, comprehensive and well-laid out submissions in the category,” the judges wrote. “Best in class was The Macleod Gazette because of its terrific photos and photo play as well as its hard-hitting local news stories.”
In the Class A Best Editorial Page competition, the Gazette placed first followed by Slave Lake Lakeside Leader and Consort Enterprise.
“The Gazette produced editorial and op ed pages that are clean, informative and take courageous stands,” the judges wrote.
The Gazette also picked up a first-place award for Best Front Page in Class A, edging out Castor Advance and Stettler Independent.
Consort Enterprise placed first for Best Sports Pages, with the Gazette in second place and Slave Lake Lakeside Leader in third.
