Pioneer claims a handful of SA Country Press awards

THE Murray Pioneer enjoyed another outstanding night at the 2021 SA Country Press Awards, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre last Friday, bringing home a bumper crop of five awards, and several top-three placings.

Heading the pack was journalist Stephanie Thompson, who won the prestigious Excellence in Journalism award for a second time.

Ms Thompson’s front-page story on sexual assault victim Heather Wynands was described by the judge as “a compelling, harrowing read” that “met all the criteria for the award”.

Ms Thompson and Pioneer editor Paul Mitchell also combined to take out the Best Sports Story award for their article on the Loxton Tennis Club being absent from the multi-million dollar Loxton Precinct sporting hub.

The judge said the opening paragraphs of the story – headed “No club at Loxton’s $13m hub” – present “what is a strong news angle, in a succinct yet easy-to-understand manner” and “leave the reader quickly turning the page in search of the rest of the story”.

It is the third time Mr Mitchell has won the Best Sports Story award.

The Pioneer also took home the inaugural Barnet Award for Best Community Advertising Feature for its Riverland Rose and Garden Festival promotion.

The judge referenced The Pioneer’s 36-page glossy official program, describing it as “beautifully designed and printed with comprehensive information about the festival” and saying they believed the feature “would have exceeded the festival organisers’ expectations”.

The judge also mentioned The Pioneer’s ongoing festival coverage.

For the first time in many years, The Pioneer won the Best Front Page award for its May 19 edition, comprising a photograph relevant to the impact of QR Codes on local retail businesses and a story about $4.3m of Riverland infrastructure funding.

Rounding out the handful of winners, The Pioneer’s Josh Brine was named Young Journalist of the Year.

Young Journalist contenders were judged on a selection of their work across 2021, plus their other responsibilities.

Mr Brine, 23, started at The Pioneer in January 2020 and has been particularly prominent in the newspaper’s local government and health coverage, especially Covid-19-related issues, since then.

Mr Brine was described as “doubtless a strong asset for The Murray Pioneer”, with his writing skills and versality lauded.

The Pioneer narrowly missed out on winning back-to-back Best Newspaper awards, finishing runner-up behind Mount Gambier’s resurgent Border Watch newspaper.

Pioneer’s big night:

1st Excellence in Journalism, Stephanie Thompson

1st Best Community Advertising Feature (Riverland Rose and Garden Festival promotion)

1st Best Sports Story, Paul Mitchell and Stephanie Thompson

1st Best Front Page

1st Young Journalist of the Year, Josh Brine

2nd Best Newspaper (over 4000 circulation)

2nd Best House Advertisement

2nd Best Community Profile, Stephanie Thompson

3rd Best Editorial Writing, Paul Mitchell