Plumbing 
Uvalde Leader-News general manager Pete Luna and staff writer Melissa Federspill, who won South Texas Press Association’s photographer and journalist of the year honors, respectively, in the 2023 Better Newspaper Contest.
Melissa Federspill and Pete Luna won South Texas Press Association journalist and photographer of the year honors, respectively, and the Uvalde Leader-News captured sweepstakes with eight first-place awards presented Friday in Boerne.
The newspaper also won the association’s community service award for its coverage of the May 24, 2022, mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
This is the ULN’s second consecutive sweepstakes title and its sixth in eight years in STPA competition. The newspaper won sweepstakes in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022, while its previous sweepstakes win came in 1983.
Seven members of the newspaper staff and three guests attended the STPA convention, which began Thursday.
The newspaper’s first-place awards were in general excellence, editorial writing, serious column writing, news writing, feature writing, news photos, page design, and headline writing.
The Leader-News also won six second-place awards for feature photos, sports photos, special section, display advertising, lifestyles pages, and website; and a third place for humorous column writing.
Judges wrote of Federspill’s journalist of the year submissions: “Melissa Federspill is the journalist we all wish we had on our staff. She covers the hard news extremely well (Gulf widens and Sweeping changes) and she captures individual’s thoughts and emotions (Reyes remembers). Her photography and the mural graphic add to the stories. Her column gives the readers insight into her personality and why she is a journalist. Well done on all levels.”
Of Luna’s photography judges commented: “Excellent work. Your work on the school shooting is enough to be tops, but you also captured everyday life which was dearly needed. Good job.”
Of the award for general excellence, the judges said “Very respectful and informative coverage during a tragic time. Well done.”
Judges remarked on the first place award in page design by managing editor Meghann Garcia, Federspill and staff writer Julye Keeble, “Solid coverage of the shooting. Writing is strong and layout is good, easy to see the emphasis of inside pages. Your ability to push forward through this is a testament to the dedication of entire newspaper staff to covering your community.”
Uvalde Leader-News representatives (front row, left to right) Neil Sturdevant, Pete Luna, Craig Garnett, (back) Julye Keeble, Meghann Garcia, Melissa Federspill, and Norma Ybarra at the South Texas Press Association’s 97th-annual convention. Luna and Garnett are displaying the newspaper’s sweepstakes and community service awards.
There are three divisions in the STPA Better Newspaper Contest. The Leader-News competes in Division 3, which is for semiweeklies. The Frio-Nueces Current, which, like the Uvalde Leader-News, is owned by Craig Garnett of Uvalde, won sweepstakes in Division 1, for weekly newspapers. The Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post won for Division 2, also for weekly newspapers.
“The results of this year’s competition were far more bitter than sweet for our entire staff,” Garnett said. “The fact that much of our winning material arose from the horror at Robb was as inescapable as it was tragic.
“Our staff dedicates these awards to Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, Jacklyn “Jackie” J. Cazares, Makenna Lee Elrod, Jose Manuel Flores Jr., Eliahna “Ellie” Amyah Garcia, Irma Linda Garcia, Uziyah Sergio Garcia, Amerie Jo Garza, Xavier James Lopez, Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, Tess Marie Mata, Maranda Gail Mathis, Eva Mireles, Alithia Haven Ramirez, Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, Alexandria “Lexi” Aniyah Rubio, Layla Marie Salazar, Jailah Nicole Silguero, Eliahna Cruz Torres, and Rojelio Fernandez Torres.”
