Dateline: July 25, 2002

Enterprise wins top honors from WTPA

The title of the best small weekly newspaper in West Texas has gone to The Clarendon Enterprise, which won the Sweepstakes Award from the West Texas Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

Winners of the WTPA contest were announced during the association’s 72nd annual convention in Ft. Davis Saturday. The Enterprise received two first place plaques, three second place certificates, and two third place certificates.

“We are all very happy with the contest results,” said Enterprise publisher Roger Estlack. “We enter these contests to gain constructive criticism from journalistic professionals in order to improve the paper. It is extremely satisfying when the judges are pleased with our efforts.”

Editorials written by Estlack won first place in Division D (weeklies with circulations of 1,800 and below.) Judges from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls called a March 8, 2001, editorial about proposed legislation threatening legal notice requirements “timely and chilling” and said “the newspaper performed a tremendous public service by alerting readers.”

Judges were equally complimentary of an August 23, 2001, editorial on Donley County finances, saying, “The writer places the blame where it belongs, no holds barred. It’s like he’s holding a mirror up to the politicians and the public and daring them to recognize themselves. The man does his homework. Comparing his county to Texas’ other counties is hard to argue with.”

The Enterprise also received a first place plaque for its 2001 Graduation Edition.

Second place certificates brought home by the Enterprise in Division D were for Photography and General Excellence. Another second place certificate was won in Division C for Advertising.

“The WTPA has had a rule in its contest that if you win first place in a category, you have to move up to the next division in that category the following year,” Estlack said. “We won first in Advertising in Division D last year. The second place in Advertising this year was a great achievement because we were competing against papers much larger than ours in that category.”

Third place certificates were awarded to the Enterprise for Sports Writing and Columns written by Christi Ross and Cynthia Hall.

Sweepstakes is awarded based on an accumulation of points for each first, second, and third place win. Last year, the Enterprise tied with the Albany News for Sweepstakes in the WTPA contest.

Previously this year, the local newspaper placed second in the hunt for Sweepstakes at the Texas Press Association’s contest and won the top honors from the Panhandle Press Association’s contest.

In other news from the press convention, Estlack was elected to serve on the WTPA Board of Directors and will be charge of financing for next year’s Better Newspaper Contest.