Sheboygan Press wins 15 statewide journalism awards, including first place for investigative reporting
Gary C. Klein won two first-place awards for photography and video, and reporter Maya Hilty won two firsts for her reporting.
SHEBOYGAN — The Sheboygan Press earned 15 statewide journalism awards including first-place honors for best video, general news photo, general news story and investigative reporting in the 2023 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.
The awards were presented March 16 in Madison. The newspaper competes in Division B with newspapers of daily circulation of less than 9,999.
The 2023 contest received 2,144 entries from 102 newspapers. Eligible entries were published between Sept. 1, 2022, and Aug. 31, 2023, and were judged by members of the Kentucky Press Association.
First-place honors went to Gary Klein and Maya Hilty, who also earned a second-place award.
Photographer Gary C. Klein earned two first-place awards, one in the Best Video category for his video detailing the remains of the Phoenix, one of Lake Michigan’s deadliest shipwrecks, being discovered 175 years after its sinking off the Sheboygan shore and one in the General News Photo category for his photo of a Plymouth farm that gave 75,000 pounds of produce to support hunger relief.
“The technical quality of this photo is great, while also showing all of the hard work and energy these workers had given to the cause,” the judge wrote of Klein's winning photo. “You can see the sacrifice and it makes the reader care more about the story.”
Reporter Maya Hilty, who departed the newspaper in June 2023, earned a first-place honor in the General News Story category for her article “Sheboygan Falls school board decisively rejects anti-LGTBQ policies proposed by one board member.”
“Good coverage of an important local event,” the judge wrote. “Good use of quotes to give context and bring the reader into the room. Even-handed journalism by the reporter.”
Hilty also teamed with Wisconsin Watch reporter Phoebe Petrovic for a first place in the Investigative Reporting category for their coverage of a sexual harassment scandal in the Sheboygan Police Department.
“A great use of records to shine light on an issue that plagues most workforces,” the judge wrote.
Hilty took second place in the Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting category for her story “Cities are rarely liable for damage from potholes. That can be a harsh reality for people injured, like this Sheboygan woman.”
“Strong reporting and storytelling with an excellent personal story drawing readers into a bigger story about their cities,” the judge wrote.
The paper earned third-place honors for community engagement, news reporting and sports coverage.
The staff of the Sheboygan Press took third place in the Community Engagement Award category in the Daily Division, in which it competed against daily newspapers of all sizes. It was honored for its work to reach underserved communities, for its reader callouts where it asks readers to share their thoughts for future articles, for its stories that helped a downtown bookstore through a challenging time, and for its People of the Year initiative.
Third-place honors also went to reporter Alex Garner for Environmental Reporting for her story “Sheboygan snowstorm, blizzard: Why city is using less salt on roads” and Localized National Story for “Roe overturned: A year later, Sheboygan groups continue advocacy work.”
“A great look at a year after Roe and the archaic laws that apply in its stead,” the judge wrote of Garner's article about a year post-Roe being overturned.
Hilty earned a third place in the Reporting on Local Government category for her stories “Sheboygan council approves $15 minimum wage for city employees, but it may not apply to library workers,” “Sheboygan leader uses racist slur in meeting, then city administrator's response raises more concerns,” and “Sheboygan County deputy faced firing after investigation that opened soon after he announced run for sheriff. Here’s what we know.”
“Maya did a great job of giving context to what is happening in city government so that readers could understand the topic’s impact on their lives,” the judge wrote.
Klein took third in the Sports Feature Photo category for his photo of Sam Mayer taking the checkered flag in the Road America 180.
“The joy of victory is clear in this picture,” the judge wrote. “The photographer did a nice job of capturing the excitement of the victory.”
And sports reporter Tom Dombeck placed third in the Sports News Story category for his ongoing coverage of the Plymouth girls’ soccer team’s run to a state championship.
Our 2023 impact report:Wisconsin journalists made a difference in the communities they covered in 2023. Here's how
The Press collected honorable mentions for feature writing, enterprise reporting, localized national story and sports action photo.
Hilty earned two honorable mentions, one for Feature Story (Non-profile) for her article “Random Lake High School students go hunting as part of unique class. For many, it’s their first time holding a gun,” and one for Localized National Story for her article “Sheboygan's Holocaust survivors will be remembered in a sold-out concert at Congregation Beth El for Holocaust Remembrance Day.”
Garner won honorable mention in the Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting category for her article “Howards Grove water may limit large development, changing that would be expensive.”
“A well-told, well-explained piece that involves several topics of deep importance to the city. Great work,” the judge wrote.
And Klein won honorable mention in the Sports Action Photo category for a photo from the WIAA Division 1 girls’ state swimming and diving championship.
“Swimming photos can be difficult to get just right, but when you do, they can also be some of the most interesting, and cool, shots to look at,” the judge wrote. “This is a good example of getting one right. Well done.”
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin won three awards.
Dating to its first issue published Dec. 17, 1907, the Sheboygan Press is one of Sheboygan County’s oldest businesses. Today, the newspaper is part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, which also includes daily newsrooms in Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Oshkosh, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is also part of the news group.
In addition to the Press’s 15 awards, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin won three awards, including one first place:
- First place: Becky Jacobs in the Business Coverage category;
- Second place: Staff in the Community Engagement Award category for the “Stock the Shelves” campaign; and
- Third place: Staff in the Ongoing/Extended Coverage category for the “Families Matter” series.