BELLINGHAM—The Lynnwood Times took home a whopping 14 awards at the Washington Newspaper Publisher Association’s (WNPA) 135th annual Journalism Convention, Saturday, October 8, as part of its 2022 Better Newspaper Contest. The competition pitted newspapers from all over the state, divided into groups by circulation, and spanned a variety of categories.
Reporter Kienan Briscoe won an, impressive, nine awards including first place in the Social Issues category for Rebuilding a Life, first place in the COVID-19 Coverage category for We ain’t cancelling church, first place in the Arts Feature category for Mexican folk dance performance a win for sister city program, second place in Government Story for Council rejects mayor’s DEI picks, second place in Business Feature Story for Retired Mukilteo Police Officer turns Thanksgiving turkey farmer, second place in Arts Feature Story for Lynnwood actor lands role in feature film, third place in News Story for Innovations in Aerospace, third place in COVID-19 Coverage for Vaccine Billionaires, and third place in General Feature Story for Red Cross NW volunteer Deb Phelps.
Publisher and Founder Mario Lotmore won second place in the Election Story category for Binda fails to provide required documentation required by law.
Reporter Olivia Thiessen won second place in the Education Story category for Do parents have a say over education.
The Lynnwood Times also came in third place for Business Feature Story for Stories from Esther’s Place, second place in Video for Local Eats: Taqueria Puebla, and first place in Video for Local Eats: Zuri’s Donutz.
The awards ceremony capped off the second night of the convention, which took place at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Bellingham, Washington from Friday, October 7, through Sunday, October, 9. Before the ceremony commenced, Lynnwood Times staff had the opportunity to attend discussions, panels, and workshops to learn about Journalism and the Law, Reporting on Crime, Open Government in Washington, how to improve photos, how to grow circulation, and connect with newspaper employees across the state.
About the WNPA
Washington Newspaper Publishers Association is an advocate for community newspapers, freedom of the press and open government. The association is dedicated to helping members advance editorial excellence, financial viability, professional development, and a high standard of publication quality and community leadership.
WNPA represents community newspapers in Washington state. It is the successor to the Washington Press Association, founded in 1887 by newspapers in Dayton, Ellensburg, Seattle, Tacoma, Yakima and Walla Walla.
Today, WNPA operates a statewide advertising network, manages a website containing all the legal advertisements that were published in print newspapers, and provides training and legal advice to its members.
In collaboration with Allied Daily Newspapers and the Washington Coalition on Open Government, WNPA advocates for transparent government and press freedom.
