Chronicle stacks up SDNA awards

The Custer County Chronicle won 16 awards at last week’s South Dakota NewsMedia Association (SDNA) Better News Media Contest last Friday in Aberdeen, including the coveted Sweepstakes Award that honors the most-awarded newspaper in its class. The awards luncheon was part of the 142nd SDNA convention.
The Chronicle competed in Division II of the competition as one of the smallest papers in that category, which covers media in cities from 3,000 to 15,000 in population.
The Chronicle won four first-place awards, two of which were won by Chronicle general manager Jason Ferguson.
Ferguson placed first in the State Government Reporting category for his series of stories on the city sewer plant and the Preserve French Creek group’s taking the proposed new discharge site from the plant all the way to the South Dakota Supreme Court.
“Deeply reported, highly local story that gives a comprehensive recounting of the dispute,” the judges said of the story.
The entries for the 2024 SDNA Better NewsMedia Contest were judged by members of the Louisiana Press Association.
Ferguson’s second first-place finish award came in the Best Business Directory Page/Sig Page category for his design of the July 4 pages that appeared in the Western Trader.
“Good use of color,” the judge wrote.
Former Chronicle reporter Nathan Steele picked up a first-place finish in the Best Headline Writing category.
“This headline writer put some thought into writing headlines by using crafty words,” the judges wrote. “In today’s newspaper world, it is a lost art. Great job.”
The final first-place finish for the Chronicle came in the Best Special Section-Issue category, where it won for its annual Progress Edition.
“Strong local content. Great copy. Beautiful photography and art. Outstanding advertising,” the judges wrote. “Great work all around.”
Ferguson brought home three second-place finishes, starting with the Best Feature Story Non-Profile, for his story “Yabba Dabba Do-Over” on the renovation of the Dino statute at Buffalo Ridge Camp Resort.
“Clever lede and an interesting story about a local landmark,” the judges wrote.
Ferguson’s coverage on the attempted formation of a fire district in Custer received a second-place nod in the Best News Series category.
“The balance and unbiased writing in this series is one of the reasons it was moved to the top of the list. It was obvious that there were ‘many’ sides to this issue, but your reporting allowed all sides to express their view while also remaining neutral,” the judges wrote. “The many quotes from all involved was excellent and allowed you to let them tell the story without the writer getting involved in any personal opinions.”
Ferguson’s final second-place award came for his reporting on the Creekside Apartment tenants facing eviction in the Best Spot News category.
“Great writing and capturing how the residents feel about what is happening to their apartment,” the judges wrote.
Chronicle photographer Carl Hansen received a second-place award in the Best Feature Photo category for his photo of a young man bareback riding at a summer rodeo.
Chronicle contributor Laura Lindblom won a second place award for her column “Ranch Wife Musings.”
“Laura did a great job of drawing the reader into her world,” the judges wrote.
Also receiving second place was Southern Hills Publishing’s Down Country Roads Magazine in the Best Special Publication category. The entire staff contributes to the magazine, which is paginated by former Chronicle graphic artist Deb McLain of Sheridan, Wyo.
“Good community and human interest coverage. Made me want to visit,” the judges wrote.
The final second-place finish game in the Best Use of Social Media category.
“Frequent posts are engaging and have good interactions. Appreciate the ‘60 seconds with’ and ‘Question of the Week’ posts to encourage interaction,” the judges wrote. “Well done!”
Finally, Ferguson received a third-place award in the Best Two  Column Ad category for a Christmas ad for Horatio’s Ice Cream, while Steele placed third for his feature photo of River Lacina doing a plunger race during homecoming week as well as in the Best Spot News category for his story on the Queen of Hearts frenzy at the VFW.
Hansen rounded out the awards with a third-place finish in the Best Photo Series category for his photos of Custer State Park Open House weekend.
“This newspaper has two great photographers in Carl Hansen and Leslie Silverman,” the judges wrote. “This third place came down to this entry and the Buffalo Roundup entry, with its magnificent top page photo. In the end, it was the individual people action that promoted this entry to third place. Awesome staff for sure.”