This was announced at the 25th annual Caxton Excellence Awards, held last Thursday at a glamorous function in Johannesburg.
Every year, community newspapers, journalists, managers, sales 'reps' and designers enter the Caxton Excellence Awards, not only to compete for the ultimate prize, but also to receive individual feedback from the judges to see how they compare to the best in the industry, and where they can improve.
It is a huge honour to receive a mention at these awards, as many of the winning newspapers and journalists are well-cemented in their respective top positions and very hard to beat.
However, every now and then, a 'newcomer' comes along and surprises the judges. Last year, when the Mossel Bay Advertiser entered these awards for the very first time, we secured a second place in our appointed category, 'Best Sold Newspaper, circulation less than 8 000'.
This year, our newspaper excelled again and was one of the four finalists. The Mid South Coast Mail walked away with the honours, and according to Gien Elsas, main organiser of the awards, the rest of the three newspapers' scores were so close to one another, that it was impossible to rate them in any specific order.
"The competition this year was described by many of the judges as being the toughest they have yet had to judge, as all the entries were of such a high standard," says Elsas.
"The judges noted that there has been a noticeable improvement in the quality of our smaller sold newspapers over the past year, so well done to all the editors."
In the category 'Best Sold Newspaper, Circulation more than 8 000', our sister newspaper, George Herald was one of the four finalists. They were up against the virtually indestructible Lowvelder, Middelburg Observer and South Coast Herald - strong forces to reckon with!
Hugo Redelinghuys of the George Herald, whose colourful sports reports often appear in the Mossel Bay Advertiser, won the coveted award for Best Sport Writer.
In addition, our Holiday Guide 2013 featured in the top 10 in the category 'Best Major Advertising Feature or Supplement'.
Gill Randall, Joint MD of NAB (Newspaper Advertising Bureau) stressed the importance of the awards.
"It's fantastic to see that the commitment for local newspaper excellence continues to grow over the last 25 years, as is evidenced by the 1 300 entries received this year.
"Equally important, however, is that it's crucial that each local newspaper knows its community well and reflects that through its editorial and advertising content. That is the key ingredient of what makes our local papers so well read and supported."
Group Editors Operations Director Nicole Rimbault said it is impressive that Group Editors - one of the few independent community newspaper groups in the country - is able to compete in the national newspaper arena and be so well recognised for its achievements.
At the hotel on their way to the Caxton Awards on Thursday are, from left: Lizette da Silva (George Herald News Editor), Nicole Rimbault (Group Editors Operations Director), Ilse Schoonraad (George Herald Editor), Suzette Herrer (Mossel Bay Advertiser Editor), Maritza Terblanche (Group Editors Graphic Designer), Shirley Coetzee (Mossel Bay Advertiser Marketing Executive) and Lorraine Botha (Group Editors Marketing Manager).
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