The Pelican Press won eight awards in the 2008 Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest, as announced on July 11 during a luncheon in Palm Beach.
The Pelican took first-place honors for In-Depth Reporting, Editorial Cartoon and Photo Series in One Issue.
Stan Zimmerman and former Pelican reporter Rick Barry were recognized for their numerous stories following the effort to bring the Boston Red Sox to Sarasota for spring training. The judge’s comment sheet noted, "The Pelican Press broke this story and appears to have owned it."
J.R. Riley won for an editorial cartoon reflecting continuing disagreements of two Sarasota County School Board members and former Superintendent Gary Norris over a number of issues.
Long-time staff photographer Rebecca Wild Baxter was honored for photos she took at the "Bodies Revealed" exhibit at G.WIZ in early 2008. "Interesting composition with humans juxtaposed with Bodies exhibit," the judge wrote.
The Pelican picked up three second-place awards: Barry won for Agricultural Writing in reporting on efforts to promote use of locally grown agricultural products in the county; former columnist M.C. Coolidge took a prize for Humorous Column for an essay on trying to lose weight by, among other things, giving up on Ben & Jerry’s ice cream; and Editor Rachel Hackney won for an editorial on a proposed plans to discourage homeless people from lingering in downtown Sarasota.
The Pelican took third-place honors for its editorial page and for general excellence.
Florida Press staff noted that more than 1,500 entries were submitted for the contest from more than 90 weekly papers in the state. The Pelican competes in the largest circulation category in the contest.