ESTEVAN - The Estevan Mercury was one of the big winners at this year’s Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association Awards, announced Friday afternoon.
The Mercury won seven awards. In the General Excellence Awards, the paper was named the best overall publication in Class D, which is for papers with a distribution of at least 6,500, and features papers from most of the largest markets in the province.
The Mercury had a total score of 855 out of 1,000, which left them 56 points ahead of second-place NWT News/North, located in the Northwest Territories.
The Mercury also won for the best editorial page in its class.
The Mercury had the highest marks in its class for advertising content, advertising design, local features and sports; and finished tied for first for community news, classified advertising and presentation.
In the Premier Awards, reporter Anastasiia Bykhovskaia won more awards than any other reporter in the province, as she took home four individual recognitions, including three for writing:
- Best Sports Story for “Women of Estevan: Story of love for sport that knows no gender boundaries,” an article on Amanda Minchin with the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course;
- Best Saskatchewan Arts and Cultural Story for “The Other Side TV crew visits Alameda museum in search of spirits, and their findings are fascinating”;
- Best Health/Healthcare Coverage for “Unspoken heroes. Behind the scenes of the Estevan EMS life and work in caring for the community”; and
- Best Photo Essay for her collection of photos from last year’s Estevan Comprehensive School Grad Bubble Parade. The page was laid out by Mercury production supervisor Ana Villareal.
Meanwhile, Estevan Mercury editor David Willberg won the award for Best Business Writing for “Owner laments the loss of the Moosehead Inn after fire destroys beloved Kenosee Lake business".
The Mercury also finished second for best front page in Class D and third in Best Special Section for its 101 Things to Experience in Estevan this Summer.
Willberg said there are so many people to thank for these awards: the staff who dedicate so much time to producing a quality product each week; the readers who have remained loyal to the paper, both with print and online editions; the advertisers who continue to believe in the mercury; the sources who are willing to talk for stories; the carriers who distribute the paper each week and the talented people at Estevan Web Printing who print the publication.
“We’re a small but dedicated team. We work hard. Sometimes we have to work long or additional hours. But we’re immensely proud of what we do here to deliver a quality product to the community.”
He also noted how happy he was for former sales manager and publisher Deanna Tarnes, who moved on earlier this year to work for the family business, The Floor Store, after nearly 20 years in the newspaper industry.
“Deanna meant so much to all of us here at the Mercury. She did such a great job of steering this paper through the two years of challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and I am so happy that she was able to be part of the team that wins best paper one more time.”
This marked the second time in the last three years that the Mercury has won the award for best paper.
