The table below lists the daily and weekly newspaper winners in the 2016 CNPA Advertising Excellence Contest. Judge’s comments appear in the right column. Some entries did not receive judge’s comments. Use the search box at the top right of the table to quickly locate your publication.
Better Newspaper Contest daily and weekly winners
Better Newspaper Contest campus winners
| Category | Division | Place | Publication | Credit | Entry Title | JudgeNotes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising Campaign combining two or more platforms | Dailies: 35,001 & under | 1st | The Press Democrat | Karleen Arnink Pate, Rebecca Pate | Lake County Destination | |
| Advertising Campaign combining two or more platforms | Dailies: 35,001 & under | 2nd | The Record | Jason Ente, Deitra Kenoly | Oh Baby! 2016 | |
| Advertising Marketing Package | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Andrew Hutchens | Antelope Valley Press Special Section Marketing Materials | |
| Black & White Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Barbara Joseph | Karl’s Hardware Holiday Savings | |
| Black & White Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 2nd | Antelope Valley Press | Karen Bennett | Antelope Valley Fairgrounds Flea Market | |
| Black & White Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 3rd | Antelope Valley Press | Barbara Joseph | Antique Asylum | |
| Black & White Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 1st | Desert Review | Noel Bravo, Stella Jimenez | “Our children, their future,” Social Services Ad | Great layout and graphics draw the viewer in. |
| Black & White Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 2nd | After Five | Ron Harrington | 530 Collective | Eye catchy, simple and easy to read. |
| Black & White Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 3rd | After Five | Ron Harrington | Paesano Days | Good design and grabs the eye. |
| Black & White Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 4th | ROSAMOND NEWS | Gayle Joyce, Amanda Garcia | Vote Ad: Gary Van Dam | Very simple to the point ad with good design. The problem is the category is Black and White ads and it is full color. |
| Community Event Special Section | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Staff | Future Leaders | |
| Community Event Special Section | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 2nd | The Record | Jason LaMasters, Deitra Kenoly | 2016 Stockton Auto Show section | |
| Community Event Special Section | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 3rd | Antelope Valley Press | Staff | Poppy Festival | |
| Community Event Special Section | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 4th | Antelope Valley Press | Staff | 2016 Senior Expo | |
| Community Event Special Section | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 1st | Santa Monica Daily Press | Darren Ouellette | Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon | A comprehensive guide to everything you need or want to know about the LA Marathon. Graphics are wonderfully informative and easy on the eye. Support from advertisers is excellent generating over 60 pages for photos, graphics and text. Professional layout and design as well. Support from the community is evident too, with letters from local elected officials and sponsors. The detail put into this section is outstanding. Congratulations to all involved! |
| Community Event Special Section | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 2nd | The Signal | Staff | Voter Guide | A complete voter’s guide including the newspaper’s endorsements. Strong advertising support from local poitlicians and good editorial content on candidates. Useful and informative section I’m sure readers used prior to voting. |
| Community Event Special Section | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 3rd | The Signal | Staff | El Nino | |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 11,001-25,000 | 1st | Brentwood Press | Eric Kinnaird, Sherrie Hamilton, Debra Janis, Anne Ray, Teri Fitzhugh, Lonnie Tapia | BVAL Football Preview | Great page headers, content and use of color. |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 11,001-25,000 | 2nd | Record Gazette | Staff | Cherry Festival Official Program | Beautiful layout and vibrant use of color. Very festive and cheerful. |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 11,001-25,000 | 3rd | Scotts Valley Press-Banner | Staff | 17th Annual Art, Wine, and Beer Festival and Car Show | |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 11,001-25,000 | 4th | Record Gazette | Staff | Veterans Expo | |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 4,301-11,000 | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | Staff | Taste of Amador | A very nicely done section featuring strong photography (great black and white photos!) and simple but effective layout and design help make a upscale presentation that compliments this charitable event. Lots of ad support too. A fun evening for the community and a great way to showcase local businesses. |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 4,301-11,000 | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | Staff | Plaid Friday | A great “Black Friday” option for promoting local businesses. Good photography and layout featuring each community, great local business feature stories and strong ad support make this section a winner! |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 4,301-11,000 | 3rd | Lassen County Times | Staff | Santa’s Sleigh Days | A great community event at Christmas time and a nice way to showcase local businesses and promote the “shop local” theme. Lots of in-paper promotion with advertising and editorial support. The special section is chock-full of local advertising making this promotion a successful one! |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 1st | The Intermountain News | Staff | Fall Fling | |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 2nd | After Five | Ron Harrington | Mountain Magic Christmas | |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 3rd | Shasta Lake Bulletin | Ron Harrington | Veterans Day Parade | |
| Community Event Special Section | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 4th | After Five | Ron Harrington | Tehama District Fair | |
| Community History Special Section | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Staff | Antelope Valley Scrapbook | |
| Community History Special Section | Weeklies: 11,001-25,000 | 1st | Scotts Valley Press-Banner | Staff | 50th Anniversary of Scotts Valley: History, Fireworks, Festival, 4th of July Parade | |
| Creative ROP Ad | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 1st | The Signal | Staff | DUI Page | |
| Creative ROP Ad | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 2nd | The Signal | Staff | Chiquita Canyon Thank You | |
| Creative ROP Ad | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 3rd | The Signal | Staff | County of Los Angeles | |
| Creative ROP Ad | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 4th | Antelope Valley Press | Angel Flores | High Desert Medical Group | |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,001 & over | 1st | Santa Babara Independent | Staff | Tri-County Produce | Outstanding photography makes this ad a winner! Using fresh vegetables for an ad border says what this business is all about without words. The message was strong, simply written and the letter was a touching message from a family owned business. Made me want to shop there. |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,001 & over | 2nd | Brentwood Press | Anne Ray | Hearing Services of Antioch | The dog photo in this ad is wonderful! Readers can’t help but see this ad and smile! Simple message done in a fun way. I’m sure this advertiser received many comments and hopefully a lot of new business. Great ad! |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,001 & over | 3rd | Brentwood Press | Anne Ray | Hann Orthodontics | Children’s smiles are always a welcome image and this ad does a great job with the group photo of smiling kids. This ad gets lots of reader attention as a result of the strong graphic. Small ad with a lot of impact! |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,001 & over | 4th | Santa Babara Independent | Staff | Jenny Schatzle | |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,000 & under | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | Sarah Tullus | Buster Says | Great graphic |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,000 & under | 2nd | After Five | Ron Harrington | Cheesecakes Unlimited | Good color and copy |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,000 & under | 3rd | Ledger Dispatch | Sarah Tullus | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Color and good graphic |
| Creative ROP Ad | Weeklies: 11,000 & under | 4th | Lassen County Times | Jill Atkinson, Elizabeth Ingram | Town & Country Real Estate | |
| Digital Ad | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 1st | The Signal | Staff | The Glow Spot | Clever use of color for the advertiser (The Glow Spot). |
| Digital Ad | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 2nd | The Signal | Staff | Tiburon Grill | |
| Digital Ad | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 3rd | The Signal | Staff | Santa Clarita Valley Auto Dealers Association | Packs a lot of information into the ad without seeming overcrowded. Nice use of color. |
| Entertainment Special Section | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 1st | Santa Monica Daily Press | Darren Ouellette | Twilight Concert Series | |
| Entertainment Special Section | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 2nd | The Signal | Staff | 661 Guide — Burger | |
| Entertainment Special Section | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 3rd | Antelope Valley Press | Staff | Antelope Valley Fair | |
| Entertainment Special Section | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 4th | The Signal | Staff | Food and Entertainment | |
| Entertainment Special Section | Weeklies: 11,000 & under | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | Staff | Amador County Fair Guide 2016 | |
| Entertainment Special Section | Weeklies: 11,000 & under | 2nd | The Intermountain News | Staff | After Five | |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 1st | Santa Monica Daily Press | Darren Ouellette | Downtown Santa Monica | |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 2nd | The Signal | Staff | Phat and Juicy | |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 3rd | The Signal | Staff | Brew-Le | |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 4th | Antelope Valley Press | Karen Bennett | High Country Feed & Pets | |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 1st | Santa Babara Independent | Staff | Nectar Restaurant | Visually stunning, the artwork says everything the ad needs to say to the reader. |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 2nd | Sonoma County Gazette | Vesta Copestakes | Fine Tree Cars | Amazing artwork, ads are visually pleasing and educational |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 3rd | Santa Babara Independent | Staff | Priced Out: Santa Barbara Housing Forum | Simple and direct with a very nice layout. |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,301-25,000 | 1st | Lassen County Times | Bob Mahenski | Lassen County Fair | Good use of color |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,301-25,001 | 2nd | Brentwood Press | Debra Janis, Greg Robinson | Del Sol Energy | Good headline and color |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,301-25,002 | 3rd | Ledger Dispatch | Sarah Tulus, Staff | Taste of Amador | Clean and simple use of color and graphic |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,301-25,003 | 4th | Ledger Dispatch | Sarah Tullus | Sweet Pea | |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 1st | The Intermountain News | Craig Harrington | Pit River Casino ‘You’re Invited…’ | Very vibrant. Nice use of color and design. |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 2nd | Shasta Lake Bulletin | Ron Harrington | Friday Night in the Park | Very catchy graphics and fonts. Playful and enticing. |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 3rd | Acton Agua Dulce News | Gayle Joyce, Amanda Garcia, Mike Crabtree | Le Chene French Cuisine | |
| Multi-Color Ad: 1/4 page or larger | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 4th | After Five | Ron Harrington | Vintage Wine Bar & Restaurant | |
| Niche Product: Magazine | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Staff | Antelope Valley Lifestyle Magazine | Very inviting cover, great local content, very nice design |
| Niche Product: Magazine | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 2nd | The Signal | Staff | Top 51 | Good design, seemed to focus on a specific audience. |
| Niche Product: Magazine | Weeklies: 4,301-11,000 | 1st | Turlock Journal | Hank Vander Veen | 209 Magazine | Superb attention to detail, clean and creative layout throughout the 124 (!) pages, well-written and interesting stories, and, of course, lots of well-designed ads puts 209 Magazine in the top spot in this category. |
| Niche Product: Magazine | Weeklies: 4,301-11,000 | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | Staff | Holiday Magic | A solid holiday magazine with some creative layouts. |
| Niche Product: Magazine | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 1st | Shasta Lake Bulletin | Ron Harrington | Shasta Lake and North State Visitors Guide | |
| Niche Product: Magazine | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 2nd | The Intermountain News | Staff | 2016 Visitors Guide | |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Staff | Welcome | This mammoth “Welcome To…” edition is something every newspaper person should see. THE most comprehensive, informative and entertaining guide to a community I’ve ever seen. At over 190 pages, this massive edition has detailed content on every aspect of life in the Antelope Valley. Advertising support is excellent with a creative use of directories as a major revenue stream. This is the absolute definitive source on the Antelope Valley and First Place winner in this category. |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 2nd | The Record | Jason LaMasters, Jason Ente, Deitra Kenoly, Karen Bakhtegan | The Current — March 2016 issue | A highly creative product using color, beautiful photography, and cutting edge graphics / layout showcasing local artists is fun and informative. Using a local artists art for the cover sets the tone for this interesting feature publication. Strong advertising support allows this publication to reach up to 60 pages or more. |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 3rd | The Record | Jason Ente, Deitra Kenoly, Mike Klocke, Don Blount | Outlook 2016 – Moving Forward | This annual broadsheet section focuses on the area’s prosperity outlook.Large photos support editorial features on all aspects of life in San Joaquin County. Advertising support is strong with good use of directory ads to help build revenue. Nicely done. Informative and attractive section. Good job! |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 1st | Santa Monica Daily Press | Darren Ouellette | Santa Monica Most Loved Guide | Good art,great layout and strong graphics |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 2nd | The Signal | Staff | El Niño | Very original with a great front page graphic |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 3rd | The Signal | Staff | Voter Guide | Good idea,needed more ads. |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 1st | Santa Barbara Independent | Staff | Real Estate section | |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 2nd | Santa Barbara Independent | Staff | Santa Barbara Independent Education Issue | |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 1st | The Ark | Henriette Corn | Generosity | |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 2nd | The Ark | Henriette Corn | Back to School | |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 3rd | The Ark | Henriette Corn | Home | |
| Niche Product: Non-Magazine | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 4th | The Gridley Herald | Staff | Discover Gridley | |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Dailies: 35,001-150,000 | 1st | Petaluma Argus Courier | Karleen Arnink Pate, John Burns | Petaluma Heritage — Families in Business | An excellent advertising opportunity for local family owned businesses to tell their story in a unique format where they receive a photo, story and an ad in a special tabloid edition just for family-owned businesses. Great community oriented section that I’m sure to please local readers. |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 2nd | Antelope Valley Press | Andrew Hutchens | Pigskin Football Picks | This promotion offers fun for readers each week through the football season and advertisers can play the game while their ad receives excellent visibility as part of the weekly contest page. |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 3rd | The Signal | Staff | El Nino | A brilliant idea, well executed. Nice range of advertisers and a great public service. |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Dailies: 15,000 & under | 4th | The Signal | Staff | DUI | Certainly counts as a novel or unusual idea.And again, I like the public service aspect. |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 1st | Chino-Chino Hills Champion | Linda Fenner, Pat Walton, Bruce Wood | Zika Virus | Simply a terrific public service. Well done. |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 2nd | Santa Babara Independent | Staff | Santa Barbara Independent Locals’ Brew Bracket | |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Weeklies: 25,001 & over | 3rd | Santa Babara Independent | Staff | Santa Barbara Independent Staycation contest | |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Weeklies: 11,001-25,000 | 1st | Herald News | Sonja Dawkins | 2016 Herald News Calendar | Nice, easy-to-use, colorful calendar. |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Weeklies: 11,001-25,000 | 2nd | Record Gazette | Staff | Record Gazette Coupons | |
| Plus Advertising Idea | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 1st | Santa Ynez Valley Star | Raiza Giorgi, Shana DeLeon, Aimee Reinhart Avery | SYV Star Best Plus Advertising | |
| Single Classified Display Ad | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Mayra Ortiz | Palmdale Regional Medical Center | Clean layout and muted colors provides an oasis of calm on what can be very busy classified pages. |
| Single Classified Display Ad | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 2nd | Antelope Valley Press | Karen Bennett | Valley-Hi Toyota Black Friday | As good as you’re likely to get in a full-page ad for an auto dealer. Strong, attention-grabbing top and six large, easy-to-read featured vehicles. |
| Single Classified Display Ad | Dailies: 15,001-35,000 | 3rd | Antelope Valley Press | Karen Bennett | Lancaster Honda Black Friday | |
| Single Classified Display Ad | Weeklies: 4,300 & under | 1st | Santa Ynez Valley Star | Aimee Reinhart Avery, Shana DeLeon | SYV Star Best Classified Ad | |
| Single Self-Promotion Ad or Series | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 1st | Antelope Valley Press | Andrew Hutchens | AV Press House Ads | A fine selection of self-promotion ads. All explain the benefit, ask for the order, and offer a prompt to buy. Clean ads, easy to read. Small testimonials for classified are excellent prompts. Well deserving of First Place award! Congrats! |
| Single Self-Promotion Ad or Series | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 2nd | Santa Monica Daily Press | Darren Ouellette | Santa Monica Daily Press Home Delivery | Simple and to the point. This ad delivers its message quickly with no frills. Good color photo makes the attractive and easy to see on a page. |
| Single Self-Promotion Ad or Series | Dailies: 35,000 & under | 3rd | The Signal | Staff | Top 51 |
