Congratulations to the 2021 OCNA winners in the Best Editorial (under 10,000 circ) category.
1st place: #Eganville Leader“I think the outrage was – and still is – something we have to give voice to. Good building of your arguments and good examples used to back up your position.”2nd place: #Minden Times – Chad Ingram“Well written and developed. Good use of examples. Good background inclusion as part of your editorial development. This editorial rated highly on my first evaluation, but it stuck in my head. In the end, it was elevated because it did what editorials are supposed to make you do: think about the topic.”3rd place: #BurksFalls Almaguin News – Pamela Steel“Good lead, strong examples, and heart-breaking situations. This is well-written, with a call to action and solutions at the end. This is a good editorial.”
“The best editorials should make the reader think. Build your arguments, use statistics to back up your lead. Ensure your lead is strong – just as you would in any news article, then build it from there. By building your argument and developing your editorial, you should be able to accomplish that goal of making the reader think and perhaps evoking an emotional response. However, your development needs to be controlled. These community newspapers speak for the community and to the community, and the people they write about will probably be living there for a long time. We need to remember the legacy of our words and of our newspapers. I hope they outlast us in only the best of ways.”
The Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) Better Newspapers Competition honours the great work of Ontario’s weekly community newspapers. The 2021 awards showcase the hard work, talent, and dedication demonstrated by Ontario publishers, editors, reporters, photographers, and designers. More than 1,450 entries were received and the awards were presented at a virtual ceremony on April 29, 2022.
