Frontiersman staff report

MAT-SU - The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman won several awards over the weekend at the annual conference of the Alaska Press Club.

The newspaper, which has been serving the Mat-Su Valley since 1947, was presented the second-place award for best non-daily newspaper in the state. The award marked a step up from last year, when the Wick Communications-owned publication received third-place honors in the category.

Pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter Nigel Jaquis, of Willamette Week, in Oregon, judged the competition. He called the Frontiersman &#8220well-designed, crisply edited and clearly written. The Frontiersman provides readers with a comprehensive take on local and state issues,” he wrote.

Frontiersman writers also received individual notice.

Reporter Amy Schenck took the top prize for best use of photos and story by a reporter for a piece she wrote and photographed about fishermen at Jim Creek. The category was judged by Mark Holm, photo editor of the Albuquerque Tribune, who wrote: &#8220This piece about great salmon fishing at a popular recreation area contained the ‘best-of-show' single image among the entries. Beyond that, among the four photos used in this piece, good lens choices and perspectives were used to best describe visually, how popular the Jim Creek area has become. The wide-angle photo, shot at water level, of fish on a stringer, with over a dozen anglers diminishing into the beautiful Alaskan background was very well executed.”

Myrl Thompson, who writes a Sunday opinion column for the Frontiersman, received second-place honors in the best columnist category, which was judged by Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur. Brodeur commented, &#8220Thompson keeps an eye out for the everyman in a column that is cleanly written and strong-voiced.”

Managing editor Mark Kelsey won first-place honors in the headline-writing category and received honorable mention for editorial writing.

Sports editor Jeremiah Bartz placed third in the sports news reporting category for a story about high school football players staying in shape by running track in the spring.

Copy editor Leila Kheiry's story about prayer at meetings of the Wasilla Planning Commission won her a third-place award in the best government story category.