UT, Tennessee Press Association Announce 2021 Newspaper Contest Winners

Newspaper publishers, editors, writers and designers won top awards today in the Tennessee Press Association’s 2021 newspaper contest cosponsored by the University of Tennessee System, which has been a part of the annual event since 1940.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Daily Times (Maryville), the Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville), the Standard Banner (Jefferson City) and the Gallatin News won the top general excellence awards in their respective divisions at the association’s ceremony, held in Franklin, Tennessee. Points were awarded for each entry, and general excellence honors were based on the newspaper’s total points in their division.

The Tennessean (Nashville) won 12 first-place awards. The Bristol Herald Courier and the Daily Times each won nine first-place awards. The Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Knoxville Ledger each received eight first-place awards.

As part of the annual contest, newspapers winning first-place awards in the categories of editorials, best single editorial, and public service will receive $250 prizes from UT’s Edward J. Meeman Foundation. The Tennessean and the Daily Times each won two awards this year.

The Meeman Foundation was established in 1968 at UT to fund the contest, provide professional critiques of journalists’ work, and support journalism students and educators.

Reciprocal judging is done with another state’s association. This year, the New Jersey Press Association judged 1,208 entries from 79 of the Tennessee Press Association’s 131 member newspapers.

Read the full results of the contest.