Tallulah – Four of the N.C. Press Association’s 2021 awards were clinched by The Graham Star, which has provided unparalleled news coverage from and around Graham County, N.C. since 1955.
The Star received one first-place nod, as well as three awards for third place.
All winners of the 2021 N.C. Press Association’s News, Editorial and Photojournalism Contest were revealed at the association’s annual convention, which was held Aug. 25 in Raleigh.
“Each time The Graham Star is even considered in the top three of the statewide competition, it is an honor,” said publisher/editor Kevin Hensley. “We consistently produce a high-quality newspaper, because that is what our readers deserve.
“It is great to know our efforts are recognized at the next level.”
The Star’s lone first-place award – in the Photography, General News competition – went to Art Miller, for his front-page photo “No Frowns to be Found” (Nov. 5, 2020). Miller’s photo essay from the same event – a “Trunk-or-Treat,” which was held at Robbinsville High School during the COVID-19 pandemic – appeared in the same edition and received a third-place award in the “Photo Page or Essay” category. Miller retired as Graham Star staff photographer in December of 2021.
Publisher/editor Kevin Hensley also received a pair of third-place distinctions: one for his reporting on Black Knights athletics – which fell under the Sports Coverage category – and one for a photo of twins Aynsley and Kyle Fink, who became the first pair of siblings to win an individual state championship in both the same sport and the same calendar year in North Carolina history. The photo was published in the July 22, 2021 edition of The Graham Star (“Wonder twin powers, activate,” Sports Coverage category).
The Graham Star competes in the N.C. Press Association’s Division A (Circulation of 3,000 or less) each year.
Since 2017, the Star has won 16 awards as a part of the association’s News, Editorial and Photojournalism contest.