Elgin Review receives 10 awards in NPA Better Newspaper Contest

LINCOLN — Award winners in the 2018 annual Nebraska Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest were announced Saturday night at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln.
The Elgin Review, owned by Dennis and Lynell Morgan, were recipients of 10 awards in the largest class of weekly newpapers. The newspaper was recognized in advertising, photography and writing categories.
The newspaper received four first place awards. They were:
Signature Page — The ad was recognizing Elgin Emergency Medical Service providers. The ad was designed and created by Lynell Morgan. Judges recognized the layout, color and being easy to read as reasons for the ad to earn top honors.
Advertising Campaign — An advertising campaign designed for the Bank of Elgin earned top honors. Focusing on the services the bank provides with agricultural lending, the ads stood out above all others, judges said, due to “excellent use of graphics and photos. These jumped out from the page.” The ads were designed by Lynell Morgan.
Public Notice & Promotion — A maze advertisement earned first place honors. “Well designed public notice pages with imaginative ads calling attention to their importance,” judges said about the entry. Lynell Morgan designed the entry.
Specialty Pages/Lifestyles Sections — A four-page section devoted to Beef Month in May earned top honors. The section included numerous local stories by Dennis & Lynell Morgan and Marie Meis. It was designed by Lynell Morgan.
The newspaper received four second place awards. They were:
Agricultural Advertisement — The ad focused on recognizing Elgin FFA on its golden anniversary. Judges said, “Really well crafted ad, with old black & white yearbook photos, fresh new color photo, minimal explanation. Good use of spot color for background, too. Nice work, a very close second in a strong category.
Small ad (under 1/4 of a page) — Designed by Lynell Morgan for the Elgin Community Club’s spring spaghetti feed supper, judges cited the ad’s ability to get the message “across with just a glance.”
Sports column — Written by Dennis Morgan, the entries consisted of two Spinning Tales columns. They were “Husker fans all stirred up” and “Frost and the future.”
Feature photography — Second place was awarded to a photograph titled “Father and Son.” Judges said, “Using the wide angle to take this shot was the reason it was so successful. Beautiful and emotional at the same time.”
The third place awards were for:
Signature Page — Designed by Lynell Morgan, the ad had a “Fourth of July” theme. “Great layout, vibrant colors. Cool Fourth of July flag page,” judges said.
Sports action photo — “Wrestling – all tangled up” was the title of a photo taken by Dennis Morgan. “Good shot of the effort and strain of the sport. Always the most difficult to record. Very well timed and framed. Good job,” judges said.
“For the past 11 years, we have strived to provide to our readers the best community newspaper possible,” the Morgans said Monday. “While grateful for the recognition, our focus will always be to serve the businesses, schools and, most importantly, our subscribers who, like us, are glad to call Elgin home.”
Based on circulation, weekly newspapers were divided into four categories while daily newspapers (excluding The Omaha World-Herald and The Lincoln Journal-Star) compete in one category.
More than 3,800 separate entries, representing 9 dailies and 62 weeklies, were judged by members of the Texas Press Association.
Awards were presented Saturday night at a  banquet attended by more than 160 journalists from across the state.