RC Herald-Banner earns 13 NETPA awards, including four first place

Rockwall County Herald-Banner, Greenville, Texas
·2 min read

Apr. 30—GRANBURY — The Rockwall Herald-Banner received 13 awards — including for first place — at last weekend's North and East Texas Press Association 97th annual convention. The NETPA Better Newspaper Contest awards ceremony was held on Saturday at the Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center on Lake Granbury.

Competing in the large weekly division (Div. 4), the Herald-Banner brought home top honors for advertising as well as for page design, feature story and editorial writing by editor Kent Miller. The paper also finished in third place for general excellence and in second place in the sweepstakes standings for total points combined in all categories.

Miller's editorial writing win came for opinion pieces he wrote urging the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to deny issuing a permit for a local concrete batch plant near residential properties and for applauding the Rockwall City Council's zero tolerance policy against the mistreatment of youth league umpires. His feature story recognition was for a two-part series on a local teen meeting a British national — and total stranger — whose stem cell transplant saved her life.

Additionally, the Herald-Banner earned second place in column writing and news writing (both by Miller) as well as a second place from photographer Laurie White King in feature photo. Miller also claimed third place in headline writing and fourth place for sports coverage, sports photo and sports writing.

The Rockwall County Herald-Banner's local sister publications for Royse City and the Greenville area were also recognized with the Royse City Herald-Banner picking up nine total awards, including two for first place as well as third place for sweepstakes in the small weekly division (Div. 5). Greenville also earned 13 awards, including fourth place for general excellence and fourth for sweepstakes in the large semi-weekly division (Div. 2). In total, the three papers collected 45 total awards, including six for first place.

The Wise County Messenger took home top Div. 4 sweepstakes honors with 1175 points, followed by the Rockwall Herald-Banner (900 points ), Pilot Point Post-Signal (775) and the Tri-County Reporter (450).

The North and East Texas Press Association is a regional organization of both daily and non-daily newspapers with a coverage area spanning from Weatherford across to the Texas-Louisiana border and north to the Texas-Oklahoma border. Awards are for work published in 2023.