CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN
The Springtown Epigraph raked in awards, including the top one — Sweepstakes — when it competed in the Texas Press Association’s 2025 Better Newspaper Contest. Award winners were announced at TPA’s annual convention and trade show June 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency D-FW International Airport.
Competing against newspapers across the state with similar circulation, the Epigraph took first place in general excellence for its Sept. 25, 2025, and Oct. 9, 2025, editions.
The Epigraph also placed first in headline writing with two entries attributed to Jolee Skinner, who is now the newspaper’s social media coordinator: “An ‘Egg-stra’ special Easter,” and “Love n Stitches: Inside Springtown's quilting cartel.” Former Springtown news writer Myriam Gonzalez’s “From porcupettes to porcupines” also contributed to the win. One judge wrote: “I loved the phrase ‘quilting cartel’ and learned a new word with ‘porcupette.’ Made me want to read the stories — which is the goal. Well done!”
The paper earned second place awards in news photography and sports coverage. Five photos taken by Skinner earned the second spot in news photography. A judge commented “Nice work. I especially like the angle of the graduation photo. Nice variety of events.”
Sportswriter Eddy Prather’s work in the Sept. 11, 2025, and Oct. 9, 2025, editions won the second-place finish in sports coverage. Judges’ comments included “In sports coverage, the photos tell the story. The Springtown Epigraph may have had the strongest overall photo spread. Points scored too for a clean, excellent layout.”
The Epigraph placed third in feature writing for two stories written by Skinner: “David Hart: A second chance story” and “Living life to the fullest” about a young boy’s cancer battle.
A pair of stories written by Gonzalez, “Lilly’s behavior called into question in Reno” and “Right place, right time,” about a Springtown resident and Fort Worth police officer who helped save the life of an infant after a serious car accident, took third place in the news writing contest. Judges commented “High ratings for ledes, value to community, and enterprise. The story about the rollover accident was particularly moving.”
Five photos submitted by Skinner earned a third place in feature photography for the Epigraph, as well.
Bringing in the points needed to top the competition for the Sweepstakes award was a third place in the special sections contest for the annual Springtown Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet and Awards Gala. The judges said, “This tab gives a great impression of an enthusiastic area with really engaged residents.”
The Epigraph earned a total of 500 points in the hunt for the Sweepstakes award; it was followed by the Silsbee Bee with 475 points; the Texas Spur with 450 points; and the Flatonia Argus with 400 points.
The Epigraph’s sister paper, The Azle News, tied for fourth place in the TPA 2025 Better Newspaper Contest.
