The NEWS brings home awards from OPA Newspaper Contest

news

June 25, 2025

The Oklahoma Press Association (OPA) presented its Better Newspaper Contest awards during the OPA Annual Convention, June 6-7, at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee.

The Vian Tenkiller NEWS finished first in both news writing and community leadership, and third in advertising, editorial writing, sales promotion, and sports coverage.

The NEWS also finished second in sweepstakes points for the prestigious Sequoyah Award.

The Sequoyah Award, which is the highest honor in the Better Newspaper Contest, is determined by the number of points accumulated in eight of the contest’s categories: news content, layout & design, advertising, editorial writing, photography, sports coverage, sales promotion and community leadership. The eight divisions are based on publication frequency and city/town population.

Members of the Mississippi Press Association judged almost 1,400 entries from 71 Oklahoma news publications.

In addition to the eight Sequoyah Award winners, 173 first place plaques were presented during the awards banquet. News publications and individuals placing second and third in the contest received certificates.

Several additional awards were presented during the OPA Convention, including the Ray Lokey Memorial Award for Excellence in Reporting, presented to Lynn Adams, Sequoyah County Times.

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