The Clark’s Crossing Gazette won eight Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association (SWNA) awards in the organization’s 2022 Better Newspapers Competition.
The awards were unveiled in an online ceremony on Friday, May 13.
Gazette reporter-photographer Wayne Shiels was awarded first place in the Best Wildlife Photo category for his stunning image of a blue jay taking flight. The photo appeared on the front page of the January 28, 2021 edition of the paper.
Shiels earned a second place finish in the Best Sports Photo category for his shot of the Sask Five Giants 11U players congratulating their pitcher Jackson Dowie, following a win during a provincial championship tournament game. The photo was published on the front page of the August 26, 2021 edition of the Gazette.
Shiels also took third place in the Best Feature Photo category for his shot in the July 22, 2021 edition of a man and woman doing a tricky balancing act on the beach at Pike Lake Provincial Park.
Gazette reporter-photographer Terry Pugh was awarded first place in the Best Hard News Photo category for his photo of RCMP officers, paramedics and firefighters from Langham and Dalmeny responding to a collision between a half-ton truck and a school bus in the RM of Corman Park southwest of Langham in March, 2021. Extremely foggy conditions were a factor in the collision.
Pugh also won first place in the Best Government Coverage category for his article in the September 30, 2021 edition of the Gazette that documented the RM of Corman Park council and administration’s efforts to tackle the issue of a scrap metal collection site that was apparently operating outside the parameters of municipal bylaws.
Pugh earned two second-place awards: one in the Best Health Care Series category for ongoing coverage of the issue of ambulance delays in the region; and the other in the Best Arts and Cultural Story category for his profile in the January 14, 2021 edition of the Gazette of Warman RCMP officer Jayson Slack, who is also a professional musician.
Pugh took third place in the Best Business Writing category for his story in the April 8, 2021 edition on the Martensville A&W’s annual KidSport playhouse fundraising project.
The Gazette has earned a total of 120 SWNA newspaper journalism awards for writing, photography, advertising and design since 2010.