First!
Two months ago I was notified that a couple of my entries for the state press association contest had won awards. And I have been excited since, waiting for the day when I'd find out if I'd won first place or fifth place or something in between.
Today was that day.
The Tennessee Press Association, which partners with the University of Tennessee for the event, presented the awards during the annual luncheon at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. Newspaper professionals from Nebraska judged the Tennessee entries this year.
The Leader competes against other non-daily newspapers with circulations between 5,000-15,000 papers per week. Other newspapers in this category include the Hickman County Times, The Standard Banner, Roane County News, Memphis Business Journal and the Nashville Business Journal.
I was up before 6 a.m. getting the kids ready for school. They left with my mom about 6:30 a.m. and I left, headed east, promptly at 7 a.m. By 8:20 a.m. I was in Henderson, meeting with the editor and writers of another paper our company owns because I would be riding with them to Nashville. We left Henderson at 9 a.m. and arrived in Nashville by 11 a.m.
The awards luncheon didn't begin until 12:30 p.m., so we wandered around the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel for a bit, then waited outside of the banquet hall. Soon it was time.
All starving, we devoured our salads and waited on our main course. The etiquette class I took in the fifth grade actually paid off as one of the other writers I rode with commented that I was the only one of five people to use the correct fork (lol). The main course finally came, as did the awards.
First up for me was the Best Education Reporting category. During the presentation of awards, a slideshow is played which shows the winners in each category. Fourth and fifth place are not announced, only shown on the screen. Second and third receive certificates. First place receives a plaque and a photo with the Hank Dye, University of Tennessee Vice President of Public Relations and Governmental Affairs, who presents the awards.
As they announced our division of this category, I see that my paper is not listed as fourth or fifth. It was, however, listed under third place! Which is fantastic! Especially for someone who came out of nowhere, really, and jumped right into journalism with no experience whatsoever!
We sat through various other awards and finally it was time for Best Headline Writing. Not fourth or fifth. No third. No second! FIRST!! I won FIRST PLACE! So amazing! I was BEYOND thrilled!
My winning education story was a feature on a man from Mason, Tenn. who had taken a chance in applying to Princeton, was accepted and overcome many factors to end up graduating magna cum laude in June 2007. My winning headline - "The incredible inedible eggs" - comes from a story I did about frying an egg on the sidewalk, an experiment we tried last August (and failed!).
The paper also won a first place award in the Best Spot News category for a story my former editor did on a runaway emu. lol.
I am so very thankful and so very proud of myself! It wasn't that long ago that my life was completely different. And this? Should be hope to anyone feeling hopeless, feeling lost, feeling empty right now. I was all of that and more and somehow, well I wound up being an award-winning journalist. With no experience starting out.
If I can do it, anyone can.
Today was that day.
The Tennessee Press Association, which partners with the University of Tennessee for the event, presented the awards during the annual luncheon at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. Newspaper professionals from Nebraska judged the Tennessee entries this year.
The Leader competes against other non-daily newspapers with circulations between 5,000-15,000 papers per week. Other newspapers in this category include the Hickman County Times, The Standard Banner, Roane County News, Memphis Business Journal and the Nashville Business Journal.
I was up before 6 a.m. getting the kids ready for school. They left with my mom about 6:30 a.m. and I left, headed east, promptly at 7 a.m. By 8:20 a.m. I was in Henderson, meeting with the editor and writers of another paper our company owns because I would be riding with them to Nashville. We left Henderson at 9 a.m. and arrived in Nashville by 11 a.m.
The awards luncheon didn't begin until 12:30 p.m., so we wandered around the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel for a bit, then waited outside of the banquet hall. Soon it was time.
All starving, we devoured our salads and waited on our main course. The etiquette class I took in the fifth grade actually paid off as one of the other writers I rode with commented that I was the only one of five people to use the correct fork (lol). The main course finally came, as did the awards.
First up for me was the Best Education Reporting category. During the presentation of awards, a slideshow is played which shows the winners in each category. Fourth and fifth place are not announced, only shown on the screen. Second and third receive certificates. First place receives a plaque and a photo with the Hank Dye, University of Tennessee Vice President of Public Relations and Governmental Affairs, who presents the awards.
As they announced our division of this category, I see that my paper is not listed as fourth or fifth. It was, however, listed under third place! Which is fantastic! Especially for someone who came out of nowhere, really, and jumped right into journalism with no experience whatsoever!
We sat through various other awards and finally it was time for Best Headline Writing. Not fourth or fifth. No third. No second! FIRST!! I won FIRST PLACE! So amazing! I was BEYOND thrilled!
My winning education story was a feature on a man from Mason, Tenn. who had taken a chance in applying to Princeton, was accepted and overcome many factors to end up graduating magna cum laude in June 2007. My winning headline - "The incredible inedible eggs" - comes from a story I did about frying an egg on the sidewalk, an experiment we tried last August (and failed!).
The paper also won a first place award in the Best Spot News category for a story my former editor did on a runaway emu. lol.
I am so very thankful and so very proud of myself! It wasn't that long ago that my life was completely different. And this? Should be hope to anyone feeling hopeless, feeling lost, feeling empty right now. I was all of that and more and somehow, well I wound up being an award-winning journalist. With no experience starting out.
If I can do it, anyone can.
Congratulations!!
The Queen aka Isabel :)
Wow! That's impressive. Congratulations and here's to many more!
http://notesfromthesleepdeprived.blogspot.com
Congrats Echo. Here's to more awards in the future. *cheers*
*by FeistyMomma