Freelance writer Margaret Cheasebro, of Aztec, won first place for overall excellence in the 2012 New Mexico Press Women Communications Contest.
The award for overall excellence goes to the entrant with the highest point score for achievement in individual categories.
Sherry Robinson, an Albuquerque freelancer, won second place, and Leota Harriman, editor of The Independent, in Edgewood, won third.
In first place for overall excellence for media or institutions, also determined by points, is Majestic Living magazine, of Farmington. The Independent won second. KRSN AM 1490, of Los Alamos, and Rio Grande Books, of Albuquerque, tied for third.
Awards were presented May 5 at the annual NMPW conference in Santa Fe.
The NMPW contest is the broadest of any media competition and includes print (writing, editing, design), photography, radio, television, electronic communications, advertising, public relations, speech, and books.
Nonmembers may enter, and the organization welcomes men as members. First-place entries go on to competition with the National Federation of Press Women.
Here are the winners in individual categories:
Print media
News reporting, nondaily: second, Bud Russo, Southwest Senior. News reporting, daily: second, Sherry Robinson; Gallup Independent.
Continuing coverage: first, Alexa Schirtzinger, Chip Ward, Joey Peters, Santa Fe Reporter; second, Sherry Robinson, Gallup Independent.
Investigative reporting: first, Alexa Schirtzinger and Wren Abbott, Santa Fe Reporter.
Enterprise reporting: first, Alexa Schirtzinger, Santa Fe Reporter.
Special series: first, Claudette Sutton and Nina Bunker Ruiz, Tumbleweeds Newspaper for Families.
Editorial/opinion, nondaily: first, Leota Harriman, The Independent. Daily, first, Sherri Burr, Albuquerque Journal; second, Sharon Hendrix, Albuquerque Journal.
Feature, nondaily: Bud Russo, Southwest Senior; second, Tamara Bicknell, The Independent. Feature, daily: first, Rosalie Rayburn, Albuquerque Journal. Feature, magazines or other: first, Marsha Scarbrough, Written By; second, Kay Grant, American Way; third, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living magazine; honorable mention, Kay Grant, Albuquerque the Magazine.
Personality profile: first, Nancy Marano, PETroglyphs; second, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living; third, Leota Harriman, The Independent; honorable mention, Peter St. Cyr, Albuquerque The Magazine.
Specialty articles, business: first Sherry Robinson, Albuquerque The Magazine and Gallup Independent; second (tie), Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living, and Rosalie Rayburn, Albuquerque Journal; third, Sherri Burr, Southwest Writers.
Specialty articles, agriculture: first, Sherry Robinson, Gallup Independent.
Specialty articles, arts and entertainment: first, Connie Gotsch, Four Corners Free Press; honorable mention, Leota Harriman, The Independent.
Specialty articles, health and fitness: honorable mention, Yvonne Lanelli, Wilderness Medical Magazine. Education: first, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living; second, Sherry Robinson, Gallup Independent.
Specialty articles, science: first, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living. Government: second, Sherry Robinson, Gallup Independent.
Specialty articles, home: first, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living.
Specialty articles, social issues: Carolyn Gonzales, UNM Today; second, Margaret Cheasebro, San Juan Communicator. Sports: first and third Yvonne Lanelli, Vamonos (Ruidoso News); second, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living.
Specialty articles, hobby: first, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living.
Specialty articles, travel: first, second, third, Yvonne Lanelli, Vamonos (Ruidoso News); second (tie) Jeri Chenelle, Santa Fe New Mexican; honorable mention, Bud Russo, Southwest Senior.
Specialty articles, environment: first, Margaret Cheasebro, Majestic Living. Technology: first, Sherry Robinson, Innovation and New Mexico News Services.
Columns, humorous: honorable mention, Wendel Sloan, Portales News-Tribune.
Columns, general: first, Claudette Sutton, Tumbleweeds; second, Zelda Gatuskin, Humanist Society of New Mexico Newsletter; third, Wendel Sloan, Portales News-Tribune; honorable mention, Nancy Marano, PETroglyphs; honorable mention, Kathryn Córdova, Taos News.
Columns, informational: second, Yvonne Lanelli, Vamonos.
Columns, opinion: first, Wendel Sloan, Portales News-Tribune; second, Merilee Dannemann, New Mexico News Services; third, Sherry Robinson, New Mexico News Services; honorable mention, Wally Gordon, The Independent.
Sections or supplements, editing, nondaily: first, second and third, Leota Harriman, The Independent.
Publications, editing: first, Barb Belknap and Ty Belknap, Sandoval Signpost.
Publications or magazines, editing: first, Nancy Marano, PETgroglyphs.
Page layout, nondaily: First, Leota Harriman, The Independent.
Radio-Television
On-the-scene report, radio: first, Gillian and David Sutton, KRSN AM 1490.
Prepared report, radio: first and second, Connie Gotsch, KSJE FM; third, Gillian and David Sutton, KRSN AM 1490.
Special programming, radio: first, Cheryl Fallstead and Bud Russo, Explore! New Mexico.
Interview, radio: first, Gillian Sutton and Nancy Coombs, KRSN AM 1490; second, Connie Gotsch, KSJE FM. Interview, television: first, Peter St. Cyr, KNME; second, Sherri Burr, Quote Unquote.
Talk show, television: first, Sherri Burr, Quote Unquote.
Presentation, radio: first, Gillian Sutton and Gene Mortensen, KRSN AM 1490.
Electronic communications
Writing for the web: first, Sari Krosinsky, UNM.
Web site editing: first, Karen Wentworth, UNM Today; second, Wendel Sloan, Monday Memo, ENMU.
Web site development, for-profit: first, Mary Alice Murphy, Grant County Beat.
Web site development, not-for-profit: first, Sharon Sivinski, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority.
Blogs, special interest: first, Lorena Hughes and Marriah Nissen, Divine Secrets of the Writing Sisterhood.
Videos for website, not-for-profit: first, Sharon Sivinski, David Morris, Rebecca Elise, Melissa Leymon, Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority.
Photography on the Web: third, Jennifer Neilson, ENMU.
Advertising
Radio commercial: first, Kathryn Córdova, KTAO FM.
Public Relations
Community or institutional relations: first, Kathryn Córdova, Taos History Museum; second, Jeri Chenelle, Santa Fe Association of Realtors.
Marketing program or campaign: first, Kathryn Córdova, Fandango fundraiser.
Annual report: first, Diana Sandoval, New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration.
Magapaper or tabloid, four-color: first, Sari Krosinsky, Jana Fothergill and Carolyn Gonzales, UNM Today.
Newsletter, four-color: first, Kathryn Córdova, The Wagon Wheel.
Speeches: second, Lynne Hinton, New Mexico Women Authors Celebration.
Books
Nonfiction, general: first, Loretta Hall, “Out of this World: New Mexico’s Contributions to Space Travel,” Rio Grande Books.
Nonfiction, biography and autobiography: second, Sharon Snyder, “At Home on the Slopes of Mountains: The Story of Peggy Pond Church,” Rio Grande Books; third, Thomas Morin, “Threads of Influence.”
Nonfiction, history: first, Dick Brown, Kim Vesely, Tom McConnell, and Paul Rhetts, “The World Comes to Albuquerque,” Rio Grande Books; second, Loretta Hall, “Out of this World: New Mexico’s Contributions to Space Travel,” Rio Grande Books.
Nonfiction, instructional: first, Sherri Burr, “Entertainment Law.” Nonfiction, inspirational: first, Slim Randles, “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right,” Rio Grande Books.
Fiction, novel: first, Lynne Hinton, “Pie Town.”
Short stories: second, Ruth Francis, “Voices of New Mexico,” Rio Grande Books.
Poetry: Barbara Rockman, first, “Sting and Nest.”