Graphic artists, sales professionals, and journalists for The Hudson Reporter newspapers recently won eight awards in the competitive statewide annual Better Newspaper Contest run by the New Jersey Press Association.
The weekly chain, with offices in Hoboken and Bayonne, publishes eight newspapers: The Hoboken Reporter, Bayonne Community News, Weehawken Reporter, Jersey City Reporter, Secaucus Reporter, North Bergen Reporter, Union City Reporter, and the West New York Reporter.
The company also publishes the lifestyle magazines Hoboken 07030, Jersey City Magazine, and Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula. Online versions of the publications appear here at Hudsonreporter.com. See the top for breaking news, and the bottom for weekly stories.
In the NJPA contest, the Reporter papers compete with publications in all 21 counties in New Jersey to win awards in categories like spot news reporting and advertising design.
Great ads
The Reporter’s sales and graphics teams scored four first place awards, as well as two other awards.
Two of them were for advertisements that appeared in the Bayonne Community News. Senior Graphic Artist Lisa M. Cuthbert’s win in the Best Special Section Cover category was called “A Gift From Me to You…Shop Bayonne.”
In the category Best Community Service or Shared Ad, Senior Graphic Artist Pasquale Spina and Advertising Manager Tish Kraszyk won first place for their design of “Shop Broadway.”
Cuthbert also won a first place award for Best External Promotion Piece or Media Kit for her media kit for 07030, the Hudson Reporter company’s Hoboken magazine, and for Jersey City Magazine.
First place also went to Graphic Staff Artist Alyssa Bredin and Classified Manager Ann Reilly for Best Classified House Ad in the Jersey City Reporter for their entry “Classified Advertising Works.”
Kraszyk and Graphic Staff Artist Patricia Verano won third place for Best External Promotion Piece or Media Kit for their design for “It’s a Summer Heat Wave!” in the Bayonne Community News.
Stories won awards
The reporters won three awards for investigative stories published last year. Hoboken beat reporter Dean DeChiaro’s story “Meet Your Future Mayor” in the Hoboken Reporter in October 2013 won third place in the Reporting–Writing and Illustration category and was an overview of all three candidates vying for the city mayoralty. It asked tough questions of the candidates weeks before the election.
Former staff writer Amanda Palasciano earned a second prize in the category Reporting–Writing and Illustration for her January 2013 story in the Hoboken Reporter, “Long Cold Walk to School,” detailing how damage from Hurricane Sandy forced parents of pre-schoolers to walk their children long distances to attend classes. Palasciano also won third place in enterprise (investigative) reporting for a story in June 2013 entitled “Part of Wonder Bread Factory to Become Condos,” which captured the ongoing transition of the city from an industrial center to an upscale residential community.
Palasciano had also won investigative awards the previous year for her political reporting.
Co-publishers Dave Unger and Lucha Malato were gratified by the recognition accorded their work force.
“What an honor for our staff to win eight editorial and advertising awards from the New Jersey Press Association,” Unger said. “It is gratifying for the hard work and dedication of our staff to once again be recognized by our industry.”
Malato agreed. “I congratulate all the winners and the entire staff for producing such impressive work year in and year out.”
Press Night for editorial, online (editorial) and photography awards was held at The Manor in Hamilton on Thursday, April 10. The Advertising Awards Celebration for retail and classified advertising and online advertising winners was held on Thursday, April 24.