Island Packet wins top SCPA honors

The Island Packet was named the winner of two of the most prestigious honors handed out annually by the South Carolina Press Association on Saturday, receiving the President’s Cup for most outstanding newspaper and first place in General Excellence for work done throughout 2015.

In all, the Packet and its sister paper, The Beaufort Gazette, were recognized with 41 awards, including 16 first places.

Reporter Rebecca Lurye and columnist David Lauderdale each won two individual first-place awards.

Lurye was named the winner of the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism for her coverage of the circumstances around the hiring of the wife of Beaufort County schools Superintendent Jeff Moss. Lurye also was recognized for the in-depth reporting she and Dan Burley co-authored on the unpaved roads of Hilton Head Island.

Lauderdale was named best columnist, an honor he has won multiple times, and also won for best faith writing.

Also among the highlights were three awards for the papers’ coverage of the 100th anniversary of Parris Island, including a first place for Liz Farrell’s story on the Crucible.

Other first-place winners were:

▪ Kendall Salter and Gina Smith, for a series of articles on the disappearing legacy of black athletes in the county.

▪ Erin Heffernan, for her look at the state of the shrimping industry.

▪ Stephen Fastenau, for his story on the closing of Pruitt’s Grocery.

▪ Graham Cawthon and staff, for best use of social media.

▪ Abby Westcott, for front-page design portfolio.

▪ Lindsay Trapp, for features page design.

▪ Lisa Wilson, for inside page design.

▪ Delayna Earley, for her feature video on the ACE Basin.

▪ Theo Syslo, for sports action photography.

The SCPA judging is arranged in such a way that The Island Packet competes against all South Carolina papers in some categories and in a division for papers with circulations between 16,000-45,000 in others. Papers in the latter category include Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill and Spartanburg, among others.

Earlier this year, the papers won a President’s Award for Public Service from the McClatchy Co. for its work examining the relationship between I-95 fatalities and the proximity of trees to the highway.

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Island Packet wins top SCPA honors."