Edmonds Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

Beacon Publishing picked up 19 awards Saturday at the 135th annual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Conference awards, including seven first-place nods for writing and photography, as well as the top prize of the night: general excellence.

Forty-eight newspapers statewide participated in four groups, sorted by circulation.

The Mukilteo Beacon and Edmonds Beacon competed in the group 1 category. The event was held at the 4 Points by Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Bellingham.

David Pan, Mukilteo Beacon editor, and Debbie Magill, in charge of production and design at Beacon Publishing, took home the first-place award in general excellence.

For general excellence and other categories, judges from the South Dakota Press Association looked at papers published Sept. 12 and Dec. 5, 2021, plus an issue of the editor's choice.

"Excellent overall news and sports coverage of the community," wrote a judge. "Packaged nicely. Good work."

Magill and Edmonds Beacon Editor Brian Soergel won second place for general excellence.

"Another overall excellent community newspaper with good local news and information," according to a judge. "Lively look to the paper."

Pan won four first-place writing awards:

Government: "No laws broken during candidate's meeting"

Social issues: "Mukilteo's Asian Americans speak out"

General feature, short: "New traffic signal, crosswalks have special meaning"

Health/medical: "Letting people know 'It's OK to not be OK'"

Pan won second place for COVID coverage, "Mukilteo is finally open"; personality profile long; "Councilmember Moon humbled by appointment"; and photo essay, "A drive-by celebration for Kamiak's Class of 2021."

Pan took home two third-place awards: General feature short, "Diamond Knot serves up Thanksgiving meals"; and comprehensive coverage, single writer, "Local real estate market."

Soergel won three first-place writing awards:

History feature, short: "9/11: A sadness couched in hope"

Arts feature or story: "Busy art, busy artist"

News of the weird: "Edmonds falls in love with a killer"

Soergel took home one second-place for breaking news, "Boom rocks city"; and third-place awards for breaking news, "Death of an officer"; crime and courts, "COVID test scammer"; photo essay, "July 4 in Edmonds"; and color feature photo, "Baking in the heat."

"It's a cliche, but it's all about a team effort," said Managing Editor Brian Soergel. "None of the awards would be possible without the rest of our staff: Publisher and General Manager Jenn Barker, and our sales team of Tina Novak and Martine Grube."

Brian Soergel

The Edmonds Beacon won first place for its story on Doug Lofstrom, an artist in town. It was one of 19 awards for Beacon Publishing.

Said Beacon Publishing President Paul Archipley: "For more than 30 years the staff at The Beacon has worked hard to cover our communities with quality reporting.

"Even during these trying times for the newspaper industry, that dedication remains. These honors by our peers are much appreciated. My congratulations to all the staff for helping make The Beacon the community's favorite source for local news."

Founded in 1887, the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association represents about 100 community newspapers in Washington state.

The association is dedicated to helping members advance editorial excellence, financial viability, professional development, and a high standard of publication quality and community leadership.

In collaboration with Allied Daily Newspapers and the Washington Coalition on Open Government, WNPA advocates for transparent government and press freedom.