Hoover Sun wins 2022 Alabama Press Association General Excellence, Advertising Sweepstakes awards

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Photo by Alison Grizzle

Starnes Media took home 60 awards from the 2022 Alabama Press Association annual awards ceremony at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama, on Saturday, June 25, 2022. Shown from left are Hoover Sun Editor Jon Anderson, Page Designer Ted Perry, Photo Editor Erin Nelson, Publisher Dan Starnes and 280 Living Editor Leah Ingram Eagle.

The Hoover Sun received 30 awards at the 2022 Alabama Press Association annual awards dinner at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach Saturday night, including first place in the General Excellence Award and the Advertising Sweepstakes Award in the free distribution division.

Those are the top two awards given out by the Alabama Press Association each year for newspapers. The awards were for work published in 2021.

The Hoover Sun’s sister papers in the Starnes Media family of newspapers — The Homewood Star, Village Living, Cahaba Sun, 280 Living, Iron City Ink and Vestavia Voice — took home 30 additional awards, for a total of 60 awards for Starnes Media this year.

All of the Starnes Media newspapers compete in the Alabama Press Association’s Division E, which includes papers distributed for free. The Redstone Rocket, a newspaper in Huntsville, won second place in the General Excellence category, while The Birmingham Times won third place. The Redstone Rocket also won second place in the Advertising Sweepstakes category.

The Alabama Press Association has four other divisions that are divided based on their number of paid subscribers.

Other first-place winners in the General Excellence category were The Anniston Star, The Outlook (in Alexander City), Shelby County Reporter and Opelika Observer. Other Advertising Sweepstakes winners were The Outlook, Shelby County Reporter and The Wetumpka Herald.

Here’s a complete list of awards won by Starnes Media this year by paper:

Hoover Sun:

First place:

1. General Excellence
2. Advertising Sweepstakes
3. FOI-First Amendment Award –Hoover Recreation Center membership hit hard by COVID-19 (By Jon Anderson)
4. Newspaper website
5. Lifestyle/family pages
6. Use of photographs in editorial content (Erin Nelson)
7. Layout and design (Melanie Viering, Kristin Williams and Ted Perry)
8. Business story or column – Developers seek to relocate nearly 2,000 homesites to Alabama 150 (By Jon Anderson)
9. Feature photo – When I Hold You (By Erin Nelson)
10. Spot news photo – Greystone tornado coverage (By Erin Nelson)
11. Sports photo – Jags volleyball win state title (By Erin Nelson)
12. Headline – Smiths hope to be spark in Bluff Park with The Electric (By Jon Anderson)
13. Niche publication – Under the Lights: High School Football Guide (By Kyle Parmley, Melanie Viering & staff)
14. Advertising campaign – Breanna Sexton (By Emily VanderMey)
15. In-paper promotion of newspaper – Share Your Story
16. Niche publication advertising – Under the Lights: High School Football Guide
17. One-time advertising special section – Women in Business
18. Regular scheduled advertising special section – Real Estate
19. Signature page: Under the Lights: High School Football Magazine (By Melanie Viering)
20. Single ad half-page and under color – HomeRN (By Emily VanderMey and Ted Perry)
21. Use of humor in advertising – One Man & A Toolbox (By Emily VanderMey)

Second place:

1. Production and printing
2. Public service – 2021: What to Expect (By Jon Anderson)
3. News feature story coverage – The Fixer Upper: County Manger, former Mayor Tony Petelos (By Jon Anderson)
4. Local Sports column – Moving state softball tournament a huge success (By Kyle Parmley)
5. Special section – Real Estate Guide (By Marshall Malone and Melanie Viering)
6. Single ad over half page color – Valley Bank (By Ted Perry)

Third place

1. Public service – Brock’s Gap debate: History buffs raise concerns over new parkway (By Jon Anderson)
2. Online breaking news coverage – Hoover parents plead with school board to stop mask mandate (By Jon Anderson)
3. Original/creative advertising idea – Vulcan Termite (By Emily VanderMey)

The Homewood Star

First place:

1. Public service - Data Hero (By Ingrid Schnader)
2. Local Economic Coverage (By Ingrid Schnader and Erin Nelson)
3. Sports feature – John Carroll Catholic High starts wrestling cheerleader squad, invites cheerleaders to become wrestlers (By Ingrid Schnader)
4. Creative use of multimedia – Homewood centenarian dishes advice on how to live longer (By Ingrid Schnader)

Second place:

1. Sports coverage (Kyle Parmley)
2. Local news coverage

Third place:

1. News feature story coverage – Proposed townhome development revives a familiar struggle for Rosedale residents (By Ingrid Schnader)

Village Living

First place:

1. Sports coverage (Kyle Parmley)

Second place:

1. In-depth news coverage – Taking the final step (By Jesse Chambers)
2. Business story or column – Crestline Bagel marks 25 years (By Jesse Chambers)
3. Feature story coverage – In the eye of God (By Neal Embry)

Third place:

1. Business story or column – Building a brand (By Jesse Chambers)
2. Sports photo – Spartans triumph (By Erin Nelson)

Vestavia Voice

First place:

1. Local education coverage (By Neal Embry and Erin Nelson)
2. Local news coverage (By Neal Embry and Erin Nelson)

Second place:

1. Spot news photo - Vestavia flooding (By Erin Nelson)

Cahaba Sun

First place:

1. Human interest column – Understanding a place like Mississippi (By Gary Lloyd)
2. Sports single event story – Hewitt-Trussville wins the Class 7A state softball championship (By Kyle Parmley)

Second place:

1. Trussville welcomes home service member from Afghanistan (By Gary Lloyd)
2. Sports feature story – Payne leaving her mark on Lady Huskies record book (By Kyle Parmley)
3. Sports photo – Casting shadows (By Erin Nelson)

Iron City Ink

First place:

1. News feature story coverage – We’re No. 2 (By Jesse Chambers)

Third place

1. In-depth news coverage – Election 2021 (By Jesse Chambers, Eric Taunton and Eric Velasco)
2. Feature story coverage – Champions for change (By Neal Embry)
3. News photo – Woodfin wins re-election (By Erin Nelson)

280 Living

First place:

1. Online breaking news coverage – In the storm’s path (By Leah Ingram Eagle and Erin Nelson)

Second place:

1. Feature photo – Sweet Rewards (By Erin Nelson)
2. Photo essay – Snapshots (Erin Nelson and Kristin Williams)
3. A hobby with sweet rewards (By Leah Ingram Eagle and Erin Nelson)

Third place:

1. Photo essay – In the storm’s path (Erin Nelson and Melanie Viering)