For the first time in the history of the competition, the winners in all main categories for a particular year are from the same region. Despite outstanding entries from other regions and also Namibia, the Western Cape had a vintage year taking both the Journalist and Press Photographer of the Year titles, both Newspaper of the Year trophies and also Ad of the Year.
The prizes were awarded at the annual Sanlam Community Press Awards evening last week. Some 350 participants and representatives of community newspapers far and wide attended the gala evening.
In a year marked by improved standards and tough competition in most categories, the judges in total returned a unanimous verdict: it was a vintage year for the Western Cape.
Paarl Post was chosen as Newspaper of the Year (circulation above 10 000), winning the Sanlam Cronwright Trophy. The editor, Anne Kruger, is a former Journalist of the Year.
Eikestadnuus won the Sanlam Hultzer Trophy for Newspaper of the Year (circulation under 10 000). Its editor, Elsabe Retief, won the Local Government section and was runner-up in Editorial Comment, whilst Lionel Cloete was third in Investigative Journalism.
Journalist of the Year and winner of one - nearly two - photographic prizes was Malané Bosman, also from Paarl Post.
Ian Landsberg of Cape Community Newspapers' Tygertalk was judged Photographer of the Year, edging out Paarl Post's Leon Steenkamp in the final round. Steenkamp, Photographer of the Year in 2003, again won a few individual photographic prizes and came second in the Sports Writing category.
Carina Roux (3rd) and Hannes Mundey (4th), both of Tygerburger, also excelled in the photographic sections, as did Deliah Kennel of District Mail with two section prizes. Graeson Haw of Southern Mail won prizes in three categories and narrowly lost out on a fourth. His colleague Anél Powell (The CapeTowner) managed first place in the Business Reporting category after she was runner-up last year.
Causing a stir among the judges were newcomers Debbie Hendricks and Malvory Adams with their new publication West Xpress, scooping the runner-up prize in the category for New Emerging Publishers.
To round it off for the Western Cape, small-town newspaper Hoorn in Oudtshoorn again did quite well. Husband and wife team Schalk and Liesel le Roux won a writing prize each, while colleague Karen du Plessis won some advertising prizes. One of her advertisements was chosen as the Ad of the Year.
Sherlissa Peters of the Mirror in Pietemaritzburg won the Alet Roux Medal for the Best Newcomer of the Year, whilst former Journalist of the Year, Samantha Wade of Newcastle Advertiser, was narrowly beaten to runner-up spot for this title this year.
KwaZulu-Natal newspapers also showed their class in the category for Best Front Pages where The Echo (Pietermaritzburg) and The Quill (Drakensberg) won Free Newspapers and Small-town Newspapers respectively. They also boast several section winners:
The Sports Writer of the Year was David Rush of the South Coast Herald in Port Shepstone, with his colleague Chris Bennett taking Columns. Last year's Journalist of the Year, Dave Savides of Zululand Observer, entered the best news photo, colleague Yolande Veldsman the best medium-sized advertisement, and Glen Dewey (South Coast Fever) the winning Headlines portfolio.
Old stalwart Hennie Smit of the Northern Review in Polokwane (Pietersburg) won the highly competitive category Investigative Journalism and came third in Local Government.
The North-West flag was carried high by Martin McGhee of the Mail (Mafikeng) for Editorial Comment, Christelle Wessels of Stellander (Vryburg) for Human Interest and Madelein Nel (Potchefstroom Herald) for Large Advertisements, winning these sections.
The remaining section winners were Kathorus Mail in the category New (Emerging) Publishers, Randfontein & Westonaria Herald (Front Pages: paid newspapers).
Reinette Louw (Northern Review) for Single Client Promotion Pages, Zoutpansberger (Theme Pages) and Deon van Huizen of Kormorant (Theme Supplements).
And, finally, in the challenge for the Sanlam Cronwright Trophy, i.e. Newspaper of the Year for circulation above 10 000, Zululand Observer and Newcastle Advertiser were placed second and third respectively.
