SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — The River Reporter won several awards at the New York Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest for 2023.

Staff reporter Ruby Rayner-Haselkorn and editor Pamela Chergotis won second place in Division 2 for coverage of politics and elections. The judges said: “Excellent coverage. The stories were educational and engaging. Very well done!”

The winning stories include Rayner-Haselkorn’s “A judge for our time,” “Where did these judges come from?,” “Ballot measures confuse voters” and “Sullivan County, this one’s for you,” and Chergotis’s “Mystery mailer attacks supervisor candidate.”

Amanda Reed, production manager and graphic artist, won third place for best graphic illustration throughout the paper’s EMS supplement and an honorable mention for “What’s in your to-go bag?”

The judges said: “Illustrator Amanda Reed’s cute, metaphorical artwork serves as a great eye-catching device for an extremely useful and vitally important piece of community service journalism. The River Reporter’s spread is a wonderful example of how newspapers can provide its readers with so many tools to live a better life—especially for where to find help in the worst crisis situations. While not as stylistically flashy as some entries, the raw usefulness of a piece like this elevates it above the rest. (... And Reed’s “Swiss Army Knife” illustration from a separate entry gets the honorable mention!)”

Chergotis also won an honorable mention, with Molly Colgan and Becca Tucker, for coverage of local government for work she did for The Warwick Advertiser in 2023. The judges said, “Topics are relevant to community and well written. Each report demonstrates the thoughtful and objective reporting of issues. The layout of section is executed well for easy readability.

Rayner-Haselkorn won first place for Spot News Coverage, 1 for work she did for the Daily Catch in 2023 with Emily Sachar and Victor Feldman. The judges said, “Comprehensive coverage of the barn that caught fire and the parties impacted by the loss. Impressive multimedia approach, making the work more interactive than a standalone article.”