The Sumter Item wins 31 awards in S.C. Press Association news contest
Micah Green won first place in The Item's division in the humorous photo category.
Melanie Smith won first place in The Item's division and Best of the Best across all daily newspaper divisions for this front page design.
The Sumter Item's Local News Advisory Board, spearheaded by Kayla Green, Vince Johnson and Micah Green, won second place across all divisions, only behind The Post and Courier's Uncovered project.
Melanie Smith won third place in The Item's division for this feature page design.
Melanie Smith won second place across all daily newspaper divisions for this photo page design.
Micah Green won third place in The Item's division for this portrait.
Melanie Smith won second place in The Item's division for this page one design.
Kareem Wilson won third place in The Item's division for this general news photo.
Bruce Mills won third place in small and medium divisions for daily newspapers for business beat reporting.
Shelbie Goulding won third place in The Item's division for beat reporting on public safety.
Micah Green won second place in The Item's division for this photograph in the humorous category.
Micah Green won first place in The Item's division for this portrait.
Bruce Mills won second place across all divisions for faith beat reporting.
Shelbie Goulding won second place in The Item's division for food writing.
Micah Green won first place in The Item's division for this general news photograph.
Kayla Green won third place in The Item's division for lifestyle feature writing.
Micah Green won third place in The Item's division for this sports feature photograph.
Micah Green won third place in The Item's division for this pictorial photograph.
Micah Green won first place in The Item's division for this sports feature photograph.
Amberly Way meets her teammates at home after hitting a homerun.
Bruce Mills won first place in The Item's division for this short story.
Kayla Green won third place in The Item's division for this short story.
This is one frame in a photo story for which Micah Green won first place in The Item's division.
The Sumter Shag club held its Fourth of July party on Tuesday at The Lounge at Second Mill. The club meets every Tuesday.
This is one frame in a photo story for which Micah Green won first place in The Item's division.
The Sumter Shag club held its Fourth of July party on Tuesday at The Lounge at Second Mill. The club meets every Tuesday.
This is one frame in a photo story for which Micah Green won first place in The Item's division.
The Sumter Shag club held its Fourth of July party on Tuesday at The Lounge at Second Mill. The club meets every Tuesday.
This is one frame in a photo story for which Micah Green won first place in The Item's division.
The Sumter Shag club held its Fourth of July party on Tuesday at The Lounge at Second Mill. The club meets every Tuesday.
This is one frame in a photo story for which Micah Green won third place in The Item's division.
U.S. Army Chaplain (Ret.) William Merrifield speaks at the funeral of Jerry Lynn White at Fort Jackson Cemetary on Wednesday. White, who was a Sumter native, passed away earlier this year at Toumey was buried as a part of the Homeless Veterans Burial Program.
This is one frame in a photo story for which Micah Green won third place in The Item's division.
U.S. Army Chaplain (Ret.) William Merrifield speaks at the funeral of Jerry Lynn White at Fort Jackson Cemetary on Wednesday. White, who was a Sumter native, passed away earlier this year at Toumey was buried as a part of the Homeless Veterans Burial Program.
This is one frame in a photo story for which Micah Green won third place in The Item's division.
U.S. Army Chaplain (Ret.) William Merrifield speaks at the funeral of Jerry Lynn White at Fort Jackson Cemetary on Wednesday. White, who was a Sumter native, passed away earlier this year at Toumey was buried as a part of the Homeless Veterans Burial Program.
The Sumter Item won the 2021 President's Cup for Excellence for having the best overall performance in the newspaper's division in the annual South Carolina Press Association news contest. The 2022 contest is for work done in 2021.
Posted
They've been experiencing what they've been covering for two years now, and they finally got to write their own headline about finally seeing each other in person. No Zoom emojis to convey emotion.
Newspapers from across South Carolina, including The Sumter Item, gathered in person for the first time since the pandemic emerged to celebrate winners in the S.C. Press Association's annual news contest. This year's awards recognized work done in 2021.
The Sumter Item went up to collect more awards than at least since 2017 when the newspaper's current leadership took its positions. The luncheon in Columbia on March 11 culminated for The Item in a surprise award: The President's Cup for Excellence.
The trophy is passed to the newspaper in each division that performs the best overall in the contest. There are three divisions. The trophy will be displayed in the front office of The Sumter Item for the next year.
The other 30 awards were won by newsroom staff in a range of beats, mediums and departments, including reporting, photography, videography, page design, digital projects and innovation.
Melanie Smith won four individual awards, including Best of the Best in front page design. Best of the Best is another surprise award announced at the banquet for the best among first-place winners.
Other first-place awards included:
- Bruce Mills for a short story on how COVID-19 impacted the size of turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving;
- Richie Weber, Kayla Green and Micah Green for a feature video on an exhibit and related discussion at the Sumter County Gallery of Art on Norman Rockwell (part of Sumter Today);
- Micah Green for a general news photo of a rainy yet joyous Lakewood High School graduation;
- Micah Green for a humorous photo of Sen. Thomas McElveen's son, Joe, making a funny face from behind a clear podium on stage during a speech given by his father on his grandfather's retirement from being Sumter's longest-serving mayor;
- Micah Green for a photo story on the Sumter Shag Club celebrating July 4;
- Micah Green for a sports feature photo of American Legion Post #15 Sumter Legends celebrating a homerun during their lower state championship win;
- Micah Green for a portrait of Tariq Coard and his brother, Adrian, for a Father's Day story about the brothers' relationship after losing both their parents in a matter of weeks; and
- Former reporter Kareem Wilson for a lifestyle feature story on the Coard brothers.
Second-place awards were for:
- Kayla Green, Vince Johnson and Micah Green for innovation in the establishment of The Item's Local News Advisory Board, a monthly Zoom meeting with representatives from business, education, medical, arts, government, faith, military and activist communities meant to strengthen coverage and build bonds, a project that came in second only behind The Post and Courier's Uncovered project;
- Bruce Mills for faith beat reporting;
- Shelbie Goulding for a food writing story about a sommelier at Hamptons;
- Melanie Smith for her photo page design of Best of Sumter's annual red carpet winners celebration gala;
- Melanie Smith for a page one design featuring the Sumter American Legion Fair;
- Micah Green for a sports video featuring Tariq Coard in an episode of The Grind;
- Micah Green for a humorous photo of an airman caught mid-song during a ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base;
- Kareem Wilson for a profile feature story on Clarendon County Coroner Jacqueline Blackwell, the county's first Black female coroner; and
- Micah Green and Kayla Green for the podcast Bouncing Back, a special series of News Without Ink that promoted canceled events during COVID-19 and the nonprofits for which they fundraised.
Third-place awards were for:
- Shelbie Goulding for her beat reporting on public safety;
- Bruce Mills for business beat reporting;
- Bruce Mills for education beat reporting;
- Melanie Smith for a feature page design of former mayor Joe McElveen's career in a special section on his retirement;
- Micah Green and Elise Osteen, who hosted the Sumter Today episode, for a feature video on the return of the Black Cowboy Festival to Rembert;
- Kareem Wilson for a general news photo of three children viewing a portrait of Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke in a building at Duke recently named after her;
- Kayla Green for a lifestyle feature on Melanie and David Colclough and their adoption story to bring together six biological siblings in time for Christmas;
- Kayla Green for a short story on Sumter's inaugural Out of the Darkness Walk;
- Micah Green for a pictorial photograph of people dancing in the street from above during a Fourth Fridays concert in downtown Sumter;
- Micah Green for a photo story on the funeral for an unclaimed veteran;
- Micah Green for a portrait of Felicity Sumpter at Greenfield Farm in Rembert ahead of the Black Cowboy Festival; and
- Micah Green for a sports feature photo of the Sumter High School football team from above as they run onto the field.