THE Murray Pioneer has been crowned the top newspaper in country South Australia.
The Pioneer enjoyed an outstanding night at the annual SA Country Press awards, held in Clare on Friday night, taking home the major award: Best Newspaper (over 4000 circulation category).
It was the first time the Pioneer had claimed the top award since 2015.
The category judge said the Pioneer enjoys “strong engagement with the community with its consistent letters pages each edition” and is “doing its best to present a clean-reading paper around colourful display advertising”.
“Editorial content reflects the vibrant nature of the Riverland and its people,” the judge said.
Pioneer managing director Ben Taylor said the award was just reward for an extraordinary year, filled with challenging circumstances and plenty of hard work.
“I’m incredibly proud of the Pioneer team over the past 12 months, and this award recognises all their efforts, from the editorial staff, to the advertising staff, production crew, administration staff and the printing crew,” Mr Taylor said.
“It’s a team effort and it underlines again our commitment to the Riverland, our readers and our advertisers.
“We strive to provide value for money and we’re going to keep doing that for a long time to come.”
Jane Kuerschner edited the Pioneer for most of 2020 and accepted the award in front of a crowd of over 120 people on Friday night, including Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Michael McCormack.
The Pioneer also gained recognition in other award categories, finishing runner-up in the Best Sports Story and the Best Headline categories, and third in the Best Community Profile award.
Award sponsors SA Power Networks spokesperson Paul Roberts said newspapers still play a vital role in regional communities.
“Newspapers like the Murray Pioneer are an important part of and crucial to the communities they serve,” he said.
“The award is great recognition for the Murray Pioneer and the dedication of everyone who works there to keep the people of the Riverland informed.”