From staff reports
For the fifth consecutive year, The Island News has bested its own record in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association’s (SCPA) yearly newspaper awards.
Winning a total of 30 awards, the staff beat its total number from last year by six awards.
“Jeff and I are so proud of our small but mighty team at The Island News,” said Margaret Evans, co-publisher of the paper with her husband Jeff Evans. “Thirty awards. Wow!”
The SCPA held their awards luncheon in Columbia on Friday, March 15.
The paper mostly completed in the Weekly, 6,500-and-over circulation categories for reporting, page design, photography and videography.
This year the staff collectively won nine first place awards.
Editor-in-chief Mike McCombs took home a first-place award for Breaking News Reporting for his story about the loss and search for a missing F-35 based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in September 2023.
Additionally, McCombs won second place in Breaking News Reporting, second place for Short Story, second place for Spot Sports Story, and shared a second-place Investigative Reporting award and a third-place Breaking News Reporting award with Assistant Editor Delayna Earley.
Earley won three first-place awards – Feature Video, Feature Photo and Spot News Photo – in addition to nine individual second- and third-place award and the two shared awards with McCombs.
Columnist Terry Manning took home his first first-place award with The Island News for Column Writing.
Photographer Bob Sofaly won first place for Sports Action Photo for a photo from the Beaufort High School football season and for his Short Story about a very young artist.
He also won two third-place awards, one for Sports Feature photo and one for Sports Action.
Hope Falls won a first-place award for Sports Page Design and a second-place award for Page One Design.
Wes Kerr took home first place for his Spot Sports Story about Beaufort High School’s 2022 football state championship win over Powdersville.
Sports Editor Justin Jarrett won a second-place award for Sports Video and a third-place award for Sports Column Writing.
The Island News staff was awarded third place in General Excellence for Weeklies over 6,500.
Lowcountry Weekly wins 2
Not to be left out of the conversation, Lowcountry Weekly, sister publication to The Island News and also published by Jeff and Margaret Evans, won two awards.
Lynn and Cele Seldon won third place in Food Writing, and Margaret Evans won third place for Humor Column Writing.
“Lowcountry Weeklly is a bit of a unicorn – doesn’t qualify in many categories – so we’re very happy about those two awards as well,” Evans said.
