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Firsts for Editorial Page, Special Section, Hard News, Advertising Excellence, Classified Advertising and Multimedia all received
The Ely Echo has won 20 state newspaper awards - including six for first place and all in the largest circulation division for weeklies across Minnesota.
Ely’s only locally-owned newspaper captured the most awards in its history as part of the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.
Award winners were announced last week in Brooklyn Center during the association’s annual convention, and the Echo went home with six first-place awards, six seconds and eight thirds.
The Echo was first in six categories - Editorial Page as a Whole, Hard News, Best Special Section, Best Use of Multimedia, Advertising Excellence and Classified Advertising Section.
Reporter Parker Loew was recognized for the Hard News story, which related to the discovery of carcinogens in the city’s water supply, while Echo editor Tom Coombe placed second in the category of Best Columnist.
Publisher Nick Wognum, Coombe and writers Doug Luthanen and Mike Turnbull were all recognized in the first-place finish related to the Best Special Section, which was devoted to last summer’s Ely High School All-Class Reunion.
The Echo’s podcast “The Pulse of Ely,” swept all three awards - first, second and third - in the Best Use of Multimedia category.
Other second-place finishes were in Typography and Design, Use of Photography as a Whole, Website and Best Use of Social Media.
Third-place awards were for General Excellence, General Reporting, Human Interest Story-Feature, Business Profile, Photography Feature Photo, Best Use of Video and the Herman Roe Editorial Writing Award.
All of the Echo’s awards came in the division for weeklies between 3,000 and 7,000 circulation, and come after the newspaper took home five awards the previous year.
“We’re proud and honored to be recognized on a statewide basis,” said Wognum, who attended the convention and accepted the awards along with editor Tom Coombe. “With 20 awards, it’s a salute to our entire staff and the honors came in so many different categories and different parts of our newspaper. It’s an honor to be selected, particularly when you consider it was in a category with bigger newspapers from larger communities and bigger circulations and staffs.”
Wognum also made note of the recognition for the twice-weekly podcast, which started last year and can be found on the Echo website each week and via Twitter.
“Newspapers are changing and one of the ways we’ve changed is the podcast, which gives us a chance to talk more in-depth about what’s in the paper and bring in special guests,” said Wognum. “Our podcast stood out and was talked about a bit at the convention and we were asked to do a presentation about it next year.”
Contest judges made note of the Echo’s work in a series of comments.
While recognizing the newspaper with first place in the Editorial Page category, a judge said “The editorials on local issues separate the Echo from its peers in this class. Along with the letters, the Echo’s editorial page is a thought-provoking package of opinions for readers. ”
Loew’s piece on the city water issue drew this comment: “The lede gets into it and it’s a well put together and researched story.”
The All-Class Reunion special edition also drew kudos, with a judge saying “Impressive piece! Love all the community support for your 100th celebration.”
The Echo podcast got rave reviews, with a judge calling it “Very informational but provided some different aspect than what they get in the paper. You can tell how much the publisher and editor are involved in the community.”
While recognizing the Echo for General Excellence, a judge said “The staff here is clearly hard-working. Instead of just covering government meetings, they go a little deeper. The editor’s column and local editorial add to the qualities that make this a really local paper. Love the ‘3 o’clock Wednesday’ feature. Readers must wait for it each week.”
The Echo gained a thirdplace award for an editorial in support of the proposed expansion at Silver Rapids Lodge, with a judge indicating “This is a good piece. Journalists should be willing to stand up to those who willingly try to stop progress for no good reason.”
Also attracting a comment was the Echo’s feature on the Ely Police Department’s unique recruiting tool - offering an outfitted canoe and gear for new officers. A judge said: “With a lot of towns - throughout the country - facing budget cuts and interest in local jobs, how to keep interest in positions afloat - er, sorry - is often a top interest of readers. This is a very well-written story on how one solution was achieved.”
In addition to the 20 awards this year, six awards last year and five in 2023, the Echo picked up two state awards in 2022 and four more in 2021.
Hundreds of newspaper industry representatives, including publishers, editors and reporters attended this year’s convention held at the Brooklyn Park Marriott. It included a series of seminars, a trade show and luncheons featuring guest speakers including Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
The Echo is the official newspaper of the cities of Ely and Winton, the Ely School District, and both Morse and Fall Lake townships.
