The Renton Reporter and reporters Bailey Jo Josie, Benjamin Leung and Cameron Sires received awards at the 2024 Better Newspaper Contest presented by the Washington Newspapers Publishers Association (WNPA).

Josie took first place in Government Story for “’My dad never would have sold his property’: Renton family seeks reparations from school district.” She also received first place and third place prizes in Animal Feature Story for “Local horse rescue organization falls on hard times” and “Puget Sound Goat Rescue saves up to 300 goats a year.”

Leung took third place in Crime and Court Story for “Jury acquits Renton man in death of 2-year-old boy.”

Sires took third place in Arts Feature or Story for “Trolls from Denmark make their mark across Puget Sound.”

The Reporter’s Special Section team — made up of advertising consultant Sianna Foster, editor Olivia Sullivan, reporter Josie and designer Sharon Newman-Adjiri — also received second place in the Tourism Special Sections category for “2023 Renton Residents Guide.”

The awards were given out at the 137th WNPA convention Oct. 5 at the Indian Summer Golf and Country Club in Olympia. The convention is held each October. This year’s contest was judged by the Arizona Media Association. The contest period ran from April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.

Fifty papers across the state participated in the competition. There were 41 entries for General Excellence and 913 News article entries.

The WNPA is an advocate for community newspapers, freedom of the press and open government. The association is dedicated to helping members advance editorial excellence, financial viability, professional development, and a high standard of publication quality and community leadership.