Competing not just against other weeklies but also against dailies in the third largest of seven circulation categories, the Marion County Record has won 29 awards for 2021 from the Kansas Press Association.

The newspaper swept first, second, and third place in investigative reporting, won first place for overall news and writing excellence, and won another first for best front page.

In competition that spanned all circulation categories, editor Eric Meyer was named the state’s first-ever designer of the year for a portfolio of 10 news, advertising, and infographic designs he created.

The paper also won firsts in spot news photography, best special section, and best hardware and agricultural ads.

In investigative reporting, coverage of a jail suicide by reporter Alex Simons placed first, coverage of Marion power blackouts (also by Simone) placed second, and Meyer’s coverage of county taxes placed third.

News editor Mindy Kepfield won for her spot news photo of a Peabody driver trapped in wreckage after an accident. She also placed second for a feature photo of Christmas decorations and for a photo package from the Peabody Fourth of July celebration.

Explore Marion County, a special section published by the Record before the Fourth, was honored as the state’s best. The Record’s spring sports preview, Undefeated, placed second.

Reporter Phyllis Zorn placed second in political and governmental coverage for her stories about county commissioners rejecting mask mandates.

Meyer placed second for column writing, headline writing, and photo illustration for a year-end photo montage. The paper also placed second for overall design and layout excellence.

Kepfield placed third for agricultural coverage with a story about challenges faced by dairy farmers and for a photo combination. Simone picked up a third place for best education story about teens having to wait for driver licenses. Meyer finished third in editorial writing.

Advertisements winning awards included ads for Marion County Hardware, Animal Health Center, Great Plains Federal Credit Union, political candidate Tom Britain, and the Marion County Health Department.