Awards Showcase: 2021 Best Overall AWNA Paper (Class D)

The Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association (AWNA) encourages excellence by sponsoring an annual provincial Better Newspapers Competition (BNC) to celebrate the achievements of its member newspapers.

Congratulations to the 2021 Award of Excellence winners in the General Excellence Class D- Best Overall category.

🥇 1st Place: St. Albert Gazette“This paper stands out on nearly all fronts, with clean, readable design from the front page on back, comprehensive news coverage (18 pages on a devastating fire in one edition), a great opinion section with plentiful letters, compelling feature reporting, excellent photography and beautiful advertising.”🥈 2nd Place: The Albertan“This community newspaper, an amalgam of four formerly separate titles, does a solid job of meeting the challenge of covering both the area as a whole and its component communities with distinct news coverage and features, plentiful and well-designed advertising (particularly municipal), strong photography and solid sports.”🥉 3rd Place:  Western Wheel, Okotoks“The Western Wheel is a solid community paper that knows and reflects its community well, with the best sports coverage by far in the category, a varied op/ed section and solid presentation and community news.

Newspapers compete against other newspapers of similar circulation for special awards in editorial, photography, advertising, and special promotion. The 2021 BNC Awards were presented to winners in June 2022.