By George E. Curry, NNPA Editor-in-Chief
PORTLAND, Oregon (NNPA) – The St. Louis American has won the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Russwurm/Senstacke Trophy for general excellence for the third consecutive year, it was announced Thursday night at the NNPA’s annual convention.
It was the Missouri newspaper’s 8th time winning the NNPA ‘s top award in the past 15 years. The award was named in honor of John B. Russwurm, co-founder of Freedom’s Journal, the nation’s first African American newspaper, and late Chicago Defender Publisher John H. Senstacke, founder of the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association, now the National Newspaper Publishers Association, in 1940.
The winner of the award is determined each year by the paper that accumulates the most points in the 21 categories of the NNPA’s annual Merit Awards. With the honor goes the title of Best Black Newspaper in the nation.
The St. Louis American, published by Dr. Donald M. Suggs, captured six first-place awards for Best Use of Photographs (Broadsheet), Best Special Section, Best Entertainment Section, Best Lifestyle Section Community Service and Digital Excellence. The newspaper came in second in Best Layout and Design (Broadsheet) as well as Best Business Section and third place in the Best Sports Section competition.
Rosetta Miller Perry, publisher of the Tennessee Tribune in Nashville, was named Publisher of the Year by her fellow publishers.
The Merit Awards are administered by the NNPA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Association.
“We had more newspapers winning awards this year than at any time in recent memory,” said Mary Denson, chair of the NNPA Foundation and publisher of the Windy City Word in Chicago. “I think that’s a testament to the dramatic improvement our papers continue to make.”
Cloves C. Campbell, chairman of the NNPA and publisher of the Arizona Informant, said, “As usual, the competition was extremely fierce this year and we congratulate all of the winners. This year’s Merit Awards winners have raised the bar of excellence that all of our papers can strive to meet.”
The complete list of Merit Award winners were:
CLASS I – Robert S. Abbott Best Editorial Award
1) Final Call
2) Black Voices
3) Daily Challenger
CLASS II – Emory O. Jackson Best Column Writing
1) Final Call
2) Black Voices
3) Houston Forward Times
CLASS III – Carl Murphy Community Service
1) St. Louis American
2) Houston Defender
3) Portland Skanner
CLASS IV – Ida B. Wells Best News Story
1) Houston Forward Times
2) Philadelphia Tribune
3) Richmond Free Press
CLASS –V Frank L. Stanley Best Feature Story
1) Portland Skanner
2) New Pittsburgh Courier
3) Winston-Salem Chronicle
CLASS VI – BEST NEWS PICTURES
1) LA Watts Times
2) Richmond Free Press
3) Washington Informer
CLASS VII – Robert L. Vann Best Layout and Design
TABLOID
1) Washington Informer
2) Final Call
3) LA Watts Times
BROADSHEET
1) New Pittsburgh Courier
2) St. Louis American
3) Miami Times
CLASS VIII – Leon H. Washington Best Special Edition
1) St. Louis American
2) Miami Times
3) Washington Informer
CLASS IX – Ada S. Franklin Best Lifestyles Section
1) St. Louis American
2) Houston Forward Times
3) Charlotte Post
CLASS X – Best Youth Writer
1) Houston Forward Times
2) Miami Times
3) Final Call
CLASS XI – Best Use of Photographs
(Broadsheet)
1) St. Louis American
2) Carolina Peacemaker
3) New Pittsburgh Courier
(Tabloid)
1) Washington Informer
2) Gary Crusader
3) Chicago Crusader
CLASS XII – Best Church Page
1) Philadelphia Tribune
2) Miami Times
3) LA Sentinel
CLASS XIII – Don King Best Sports Section
1) Pittsburgh Courier
2) Philadelphia Tribune
3) St. Louis American
CLASS XIX – Best Business Section
1) Miami Times
2) St. Louis American
3) Houston Defender
CLASS XX – Best Entertainment Section
1) St. Louis American
2) Miami Times
3) LA Sentinel
CLASS XXI – MillerCoors Digital Excellence
1) St. Louis American
2) Skanner
3) Crossroad News
