Noosa Today has dominated the Queensland Country Press Newspaper Excellence Awards.
Not only did Noosa Today win a major award for Best Newspaper over 10,000 circulation, it also won the Best Newspaper with two or less Journalists category and Most Improved Newspaper.
“It would compare well with most quality produced commercial magazines, photos jumped out of the pages and is exceptional quality for a newspaper,” the judges enthused. “This is a product, which truly was a pleasure to read.”
Journalist Margie Maccoll was also awarded third place for Overall Excellence for an Individual Journalist for her coverage of the Johns Landing closure. Noosa Today’s special publication Noosa Shire Shines was highly commended as Best Commercial Feature.
Here’s what the judges had to say:
Best Newspaper Over 10,000 Circulation
A newspaper printed heat set on gloss paper, stitched and trimmed, that would compare well with most quality produced commercial magazines. This is an easy publication to read with good selection of type faces and interesting well-composed pages.
Photos jumped out of the pages, attracting your attention, cleverly cropped and composed, with a professional use of bleeds and colour when needed. Being heat set, print quality was outstanding, ink density, registration and colour consistency was of exceptional quality for a newspaper. Advertisements grabbed your attention, and were well balanced with editorial in the page layouts. This is a product truly a pleasure to read. Well done and congratulations to the team at Noosa Today.
Most Improved Newspaper
It was evident publishers are working on improving their products in a media environment which in some areas is highly competitive. However, when compared to last year’s issues, there were no stand-outs with really dramatic changes in publishing format or paper and print quality, and when all the judges’ votes across the categories on level of improvement were tallied, all newspapers scored equally, except one – the winner.
Since last year’s entry, Noosa Today has made changes to improve the readability and overall presentation of their newspaper.
Changes to general layout and composition were evident, especially the front page.
Much effort and thought had been implemented in creating pages that were more interesting for the reader, creating a more positive effect for their many advertisers.
Judging by the increase in paging compared to last year, these changes obviously had a positive effect, attracting many more advertisers.
Congratulations for a concerted effort from a professional and passionate newspaper team at the Noosa Today office.
Best Newspaper Employing Two or Less Journalists
Any newspaper that gives priority to local news and photos, supports their greater business communities and, where necessary, leads their own communities on local issues will always be the winner with their own loyal readers.
Overall Journalistic Excellence – Margaret Maccoll, third place, Home of the Homeless
Well rounded, dispassionate coverage of a controversial issue. It could have been sensationalised but wasn’t and the community is better informed for it.
Best Commercial Feature – Noosa Shire Shines, highly commended
A high-quality gloss publication, packed full of sharp, clever advertisements, highlighting Noosa’s diverse business services – from all-important real estate to fashion, dining and hospitality. The editorial provided readers with an interesting mix of history, glamour, business, tourism and positive messages from community leaders pointing to Noosa’s shining lifestyle.
