The Oklahoma Press Association presented its Better Newspaper Contest Awards during the OPA Annual Convention June 6-7, at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee.

The top award a newspaper can receive is the coveted Sequoyah Award, given to newspapers in seven divisions based upon population.

The McIntosh County Democrat won the Sequoyah Award in Division 6, which includes weekly publications in areas where the population ranges from 2,800 to 6,000.

The Eufaula Indian Journal came in second for the Sequoyah Award in Division 5, which includes publications in which the population ranges from 6,000 to 20,000.

This year, the IJ was moved to Division 5 from Division 6 so the Democrat and IJ would not compete against each other. Both are owned by Cookson Hills Publications.

“I’m incredibly proud to see our local newspapers recognized with these awards from our peers in other states. The Sequoyah Award is the highest honor a paper can receive.

LaDonna Rhodes and our entire team works so hard to put out quality papers each week and it is a testament to the passion, grit, and teamwork of our entire staff. Every story we tell, every edition we print, is a reflection of a community worth celebrating,” General Manager Shauna Belyeu said.

Both papers did well in all categories including news, sports, photography, layout and more.

Also being honored was Jerry Fink, managing editor of the IJ and Democrat, for his 50 years in Journalism. He is now a member of the Half Century Club.

Shauna Belyeu, general manager of both papers, was honored for her 25 years of service.

Other Quarter Cen-tury Club inductees included Denise Frost, office manager of the Henryetta Free-Lance and Okmulgee Times (also part of Cookson Hills Publications); Eric Hunter, production and IT manager with the Clinton Daily News; Sean Stephens, publisher of the Clinton Daily News and Calvin Stone, assistant pressman with the Clinton Daily News.

Other Half Century Club inductees include Bruce Campbell, sportswriter for the Enid News & Eagle; John Lewis, production manager and circulation manager for the Seminole Producer; and C. Ross Coyle, retired former owner of the Blanchard News.

The Sequoyah County Times, flagship of the Cookson Hills Publications’ eight newspapers, swept awards in many categories.

Times reporter Lynn Adams won first, second and third place in 10 categories, including first place for his story on homelessness (Ray Lokey Award) and second place in column writing.

In Division 5 the IJ placed first in sports coverage, under the guidance of Sports Editor Rodney Haltom as well as first in sports photography.

The IJ placed third in news content, second in photography, second in sales promotions.

In Division 6, the Democrat placed first in community leadership; first in advertising; second in news content; third in sales promotion; and third in sports coverage.

Receiving the H. Milt Philips Award was Russell M. Perry, publisher of The Black Chronicle in Oklahoma City. The OPA Board of Directors selects the recipient of the Milt Phillips Award.

Receiving the ONF Beachy Musselman Award was Corey Jones, public service journalism reporter at the Tulsa World. His investigative series reporting on fatal pursuits involving Oklahoma law enforcement, particularly the Oklahoma Highway patrol, over several years continues to receive national attention.

The Sequoyah Award Winners in the multiday and on-line-only publications were Enid News & Eagle, McAlester News-Capital and Choctaw Times.

Sequoyah winners in the weekly divisions in addition to the McIntosh County Democrat were the Midwest City Beacon, Purcell Register, and Minco-Union.

The Cameron University Collegian was the winner in the college news media division.

This was the first year awards were presented for the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting. The contest, administered by the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation, awarded a total of $15,000 in cash awards to reporters and news outlets in Oklahoma for content produced in 2024.

It was judged by members of the Mississippi Press Association.

Awards were presented to: First Place: Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock, The Frontier Second Place: Andy Dossett, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise Third Place: Ruby Topalian, Oklahoma