Herald's 'On the border' project wins big at Minnesota Newspaper Association event

Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Jan. 28—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks Herald project that highlighted life along the northern Minnesota border during the coronavirus pandemic and U.S.-Canada border closure won big this week at a Minnesota Newspaper Association awards ceremony.

The project, titled "

On the border

," included three extensive stories, numerous photos and

a three-part video documentary

, most of which focused on the Warroad, Lancaster and Roseau communities of northern Minnesota.

"On the border" earned three first-place finishes and one second-place finish, including:

* First place in the Lynn Smith Community Service Award, which was a category for all Minnesota newspapers, regardless of size.

* First place in a category titled "Covid in Your Communities."

* First place in the category of "Best use of video."

On all three first-place finishes, the project was awarded to the team of Brad Dokken, Ann Bailey, Eric Hylden, Sydney Mook and Korrie Wenzel. Also, the team of Dokken and Bailey teamed up for another "On the border" award, finishing second in the business reporting category.

Overall, the Herald won 15 awards at the MNA event, including seven first-place awards.

"Of course, we're always happy when we get some sort of recognition for the content we create. But the success that we had with the 'On the border' series is especially satisfying, considering the amount of work that went into that project," said Wenzel, the Herald's publisher. "And in Minnesota, due to the sheer number of newspapers involved, any award is something to be proud of."

Following is the full list of awards Herald employees won at the MNA event, with the employee's name, honor earned and category included:

* Chuck Haga: First place, column writing.

* Hannah Shirley: First place, best use of multimedia.

* Brad Dokken, Ann Bailey, Eric Hylden, Sydney Mook and Korrie Wenzel: First place, best use of video.

* Brad Dokken, Ann Bailey: Second place, best business story.

* Adam Kurtz: Third place, best business story.

* Brad Dokken, Ann Bailey, Eric Hylden, Sydney Mook and Korrie Wenzel: First place, COVID in your community.

* Herald staff: Second place, overall general reporting.

* Pamela Knudson, Hannah Shirley: Third place, investigative reporting.

* Brad Dokken, Ann Bailey, Eric Hylden, Sydney Mook and Korrie Wenzel: First place, Lynn Smith Community Service Award.

* Eric Hylden: First place, news photo.

* Eric Hylden: Third place, sports photo.

* Matt Purpur, Dan Young: First place, use of color in advertising.

* Matt Purpur: Third place, innovative online advertising.

* Korrie Wenzel: Third place, editorial portfolio.

* Korrie Wenzel: Second place, explanation of newspaper operations or newspaper ethics.

* Also, Ingrid Harbo, who joined the Herald staff late in 2021 after graduating from Concordia College, earned a first-place finish at the MNA event in the college division. Her win came in the government/public affairs category.