The East Oregonian feature “I might not make it home” from Jan. 9, 2021, won the Story of the Year in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2022 Better Newspapers Contest on Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29, in Welches. ONPA also awarded the East Oregonian with the first place General Excellence award for its class.

PENDLETON — The East Oregonian returned to form in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual Better Newspapers Contest, winning the General Excellence award for 2022.

The EO won the award in 2020, then took third in 2021. Prior to 2021, the EO won first place in general excellence nine out of the previous 10 years.

“I couldn’t be anymore prouder of the work our newsroom did during this past year,” EO managing editor and publisher Andrew Cutler said. “I think this shows the commitment of everyone who steps foot in the EO newsroom to provide our readers with the absolute best journalism we can day in and day out. This is validation of that.”

Kathryn Brown, EO Media Group vice president and EO owner, said she agreed with Cutler.

“Despite many challenges our editors and journalists faced in 2021, I am proud to say that we consistently published a news product we could all be proud of,” she said. “I appreciate the recognition by ONPA, but it’s our subscribers and readers who motivate us every day to report the news of this region accurately and fairly.”

Fellow EO Media Group newspapers Blue Mountain Eagle in John Day and The Bulletin in Bend won General Excellence for their size categories.

EO news editor Phil Wright said he set a goal for the newsroom of reclaiming General Excellence after he stepped into the position in May 2021.

“I told Andrew when I came on we would get General Excellence back,” Wright said. “That award is the standard we aim for in this newsroom. That’s the bar we strive to clear.”

The awards were for the 2021 calendar year, and the Maine Press Association judged the contest. ONPA announced the awards Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29, at Mount Hood Resort in Welches.

In addition to General Excellence, the East Oregonian won several individual awards in the contest.

Sports reporter Annie Fowler took first place for best sports story for the Dec. 11 story “Umatilla High launching esports program.” Fowler also won the second-place award in sports reporting.

EO reporter Kathy Aney’s Feb. 18 feature “Getting displaced families back home” won first place for best writing.

Former East Oregonian reporter Bryce Dole’s Jan. 9 article “I might not make it home,” won Best Story of the Year. The feature shined a spotlight on COVID-19 in Two Rivers Correctional Institution, Umatilla.

Other East Oregonian ONPA awards

• Former EO reporters Antonio Sierra and Nick Rosenberger took second place for best coverage of business and economic issues.

• Cutler and Brown took third place for best editorial. Cutler also took third place for best editorial page and second place for best local column.

• Community editor Tammy Malgesini won a third-place award in best local column for the EO, and she took first place for best local column for the Hermiston Herald.

• Wright took third place in spot news coverage.