Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Tama - Tama-Toledo News Chronicle Entry Title: Tama-Toledo News Chronicle Entry Credit: Michael Davis, Jonathan Meyer Judge Comment: The Tama-Toledo News Chronicle has an interesting mix of local columns, letters to the editor and guest commentary. My one comment would be to make sure each writer is identified with a one-line explainer at the end. This was a superior entry in the category.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Greenfield - Adair County Free Press Entry Title: Best Editorial Pages Entry Credit: Caleb Nelson Judge Comment: My judging preference is for unsigned editorials on the Opinion page, I understand that is not always possible at smaller newspapers. Columns are topical and well-written.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Solon - Solon Economist Entry Title: Best Editorial Page – Solon Entry Credit: Chris Umscheid, Heidi Owen Judge Comment: You need to break up the gray in your columns by creating more paragraphs. Long paragraphs like these are cumbersome to read, especially for readers with limited time. Having said that, the column by Randy Evans was spot on. My preference is for more local editorials and columns, however.
