The Houston Herald earned 14 awards — including four first-place plaques — Saturday in the annual Missouri Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.
The presentation took place during the association’s 155th annual convention at The Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark.
Entries consisted of work done in 2021 and were judged by an out-of-state press association.
The Herald’s first-place awards:
•Best Editorial Pages (2021).
•Best News Story (A rare fatal stabbing that occurred last year just west of the downtown business district)
•Best Feature Story (“Catastrophe Yields Blessings,” Feb. 18, 2021, concerning a county tragedy that was later featured in a devotional magazine).
•Best Coverage of Government (Highlighting issues that were threatening county tax season last fall).
The Herald also received two second-place awards and four for third place, and was also was recognized with four honorable mention awards, including one for the Herald’s website (houstonherald.com)
The haul was the largest amount among newspapers in south-central Missouri.