Smoke Signals receives four newspaper awards

Smoke Signals received four awards, including two first places, from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association on Friday, July 18, as a participant in the annual Associate Member Publications Contest.

Smoke Signals received two first-place awards. Photographer Michelle Alaimo received the top award in Photography while the entire staff was honored with first place in the Target Audience category, which honors the "level of interest, relevance, creativity and commitment to the target audience."

Graphic Designer George Valdez was honored in the Graphics category with a second-place award and page designer Justin Phillips was honored in the Design category with a third-place award.

Like in 2013, only three out of 25 qualifying newspapers in Oregon received awards in the Associate Member contest - The Portland Tribune, The Capital Press in Salem and Smoke Signals, which again was the only Tribal newspaper to receive awards from ONPA.

"If you look at the competition - The Portland Tribune and the agricultural newspaper The Capital Press -- you'll understand that Smoke Signals receiving four awards was an honor," said Publications Coordinator Dean Rhodes. "We went head-to-head with the heavyweights in our category and turned in a very respectable performance, winning four of the 13 awards handed out.

"The awards reflect the talent, dedication and professionalism of the entire staff, as well as the great assistance we receive from our Tribal colleagues. Winning the Target Audience award again reflects that we concentrate on covering Grand Ronde Tribal news as our priority."

Smoke Signals previously won the Target Audience award in 2009 and 2012.

The Portland Tribune received the Sweepstakes Award in the Associate Member category, accumulating 10 points for its five awards. Smoke Signals and The Capital Press both accumulated nine points in winning four awards apiece to tie for second place.

The Associate Member Publications Contest was judged by members of the Indiana Press Association.

During the Native American Journalist Association conference held July 11-13 in Santa Clara, Calif., Smoke Signals received 10 awards.