Caxton announces winners of Newspaper Excellence Awards

Judging covered 29 categories, including the Best Overall Caxton newspaper, Best Journalist, Most Promising Journalist and Best Hard News Photograph.

And the winners are:
- Best Sold Newspaper with circulation of 8 000 or more: Lowvelder, editor Irma Green
- Best Free Newspaper with pagination of 24 or more: Sandton Chronicle, editor Ellen Raubenheimer
- Journalist of the Year: Samantha Wade, Newcastle Advertiser
- Most Promising Journalist of the Year – awarded equally to two worthy recipients: Amalia Christoforou, Fourways Review and Norman Hlope, South Coast Herald
- Best Investigative Reporting: Tobie van den Bergh, Middelburg Observer
- Best Sports Writing: Zweli Dlamini, The Springs African Reporter
- Best Hard News Photograph: Dave Savides for 'Casualty Count,' Zululand Observer

Newspaper judging was based on excellence in design, editorial and advertisement content, photographic and artistic illustration, impact and typography. In assessing the design, judges took note of front-page effect and appeal, valuable use of space, pictures, and the layout of editorial headings.

Gill Randall, Joint Managing Director, Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB), the specialised community newspaper advertising sales company, comments, "The Caxton Excellence Awards encourage entrants to strive for consistent high quality which delivers superior newspapers, and in turn, more readers for advertisers."

An eminent panel of judges were selected for The Caxton Excellence Awards. Judges processing final entries of the editorial categories were, Sanlam Media Department's Hugo Redelinghuys, for the twelfth consecutive year, Professor Anton Harber of Wits Journalism and Media Studies, Clinton van den Berg, Sports Editor, Sunday Times, Willie Buys, former Mooivaal Media, Editor-in-Chief, and Pieter Malan of Rapport.