Herald Earns Awards In State Press Contest

Staff Report

JACKSON – The North Mississippi Herald has won 14 advertising awards in the Mississippi Press Association’s 2009 Better Newspaper Contest including a second place Advertising Excellence.

The awards were announced Jan. 30 during the association’s annual Mid-Winter Conference. The Herald competes in the weekly circulation division of less than 4,000.

Sales representative and graphic designer Melody Smith took top honors in five categories along with three second place awards and three third place honors.

The judges called her first place ad for Jonathan’s of Coffeeville in the Best Single Retail Advertisement – Black and White category, “Simple and eye-catching.”

They also praised her first place ad in the Best Institutional Advertisement – Color category as having “very appealing graphics and colors.”

Smith swept the Best Institutional Advertisement – Black and White category with an ad for the Magnolia Youth League and two for the Water Valley Main Street Association.

Herald Editor David Howell won two first place awards for Best Political Advertisement; one in the black and white and one in the color divisions.

On Howell’s winning campaign ad for Circuit Court Judge Jimmy McClure, the judges commented that they “loved that the judge was shown helping real people with real issues. Not the usual judge in a robe.”

In Best Section or Edition Dedicated to An Editorial Topic, the Herald won second place for its 2009 Watermelon Carnival edition.