Newspaper earns awards in South Texas Press Association contest

Judges for the South Texas Press Association named winners recently in the regional newspaper group's 2008 Better Newspaper Contest.

The Lampasas Dispatch Record earned two first-place plaques, along with certificates for three third-place entries and two honorable mention awards.

First-place recognition came in the News Coverage division and Sports Photos division. The Dispatch Record's entries competed against other semi-weekly newspapers in the press association. Representatives of the Texarkana Gazette and The Nashville (Ark.) Leader served as judges for these entries.

Page Design, Feature Photos and Headline Writing categories earned the local newspaper third-place honors. Judges for these entries were members of the Arkansas Press Association.

And the Dispatch Record received honorable mention for its Sports Pages and Humorous Column Writing entries.

"It is nice to garner awards across the spectrum of journalism," said Publisher Jim Lowe.

"From the news writing to the local columns, from photography to page layout and graphic design, our staff does an excellent job covering what is important to Lampasas County readers.

"It is always satisfying to receive recognition, too, from peers. That is what's important about our regional press association contests; we are judged by some of the best people in the business."