SAVANNAH SCHMIDT
(L to R) Matt Grainger and Haley Flanery pose with their "owl-ways stay on guard" sign at the scene of the owl attacks on Lakeshore Trail on Oct. 1, 2024. The pair wish to promote awareness of the danger of the bird to runners and walkers on the trail. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
ORANGE BEACH — Coverage of a pesky owl and a major change in Homewood’s government helped The Homewood Star win several awards for journalistic excellence at the Alabama Press Association’s annual convention Saturday night at the Perdido Beach Resort.
“I survived the Lakeshore Owl,” the tale of a pesky feathered menace that was swooping onto and terrorizing runners along the Lakeshore trail, captured two first-place awards, both by Savannah Schmidt. Her written account was praised by judges for its creativity and won first place for Best Spot News in the APA’s Division E. The video that accompanied the story, also by Schmidt, earned first place for Creative Use of Multimedia.
Schmidt also won second place in the Photo Essay category, shared with freelance photographer Richard Force, for scenes from the 2024 high school football season.
The Homewood Star community editor Sarah Owens earned accolades for her coverage of last year’s referendum that changed the city’s structure of governance. Her coverage of the voting results earned second place in Online Breaking News, while her overall coverage of the issue leading up to and after the vote earned third place for In-Depth News Coverage.
Both Owens and Schmidt earned additional accolades for their work with other Starnes Media publications. Owens, who earlier this year was named the state’s Emerging Journalist of the Year by the APA, also serves as community editor for Village Living. Her story about Mountain Brook teen Lulu Gribbin’s road to recovery after surviving a shark attack while vacationing in Florida earned first place for Best News Feature. Under Owens’ direction, Village Living was selected as the state’s most improved newspaper in Division E.
Owens also played a key role in a first-place award for Best Public Service for her lead article in a multi-story package titled “The power to save: Why talking about mental health matters.” Versions of the article appeared in all six Starnes Media Publications, including The Homewood Star, Village Living, 280 Living, Cahaba Sun, Vestavia Voice and Hoover Sun. The entry was credited to Hoover Sun and shared with collaborators Jon Anderson and Taylor Bright.
Schmidt earned eight APA awards for her work across Starnes Media’s publications in writing, photography and videography.
The Homewood Star’s contest success added to the overall tally for Starnes Media, led by the Hoover Sun, which posted 30 total awards across editorial and advertising. Those included the high-school sports coverage by sports editor Kyle Parmley for Under the Lights, the magazine and podcast shared across all Starnes markets. The preseason magazine was named Best Niche Publication for both its editorial and advertising content, a sweep, and the podcast earned first place for Best Podcast. Parmley also won first place for Best Local Sports Column, which was entered under the Hoover Sun but also appeared in The Homewood Star.
Hoover Sun was the overall winner for General Excellence in Division E. The Sun won first place for Best Newspaper Website and the Advertising Sweepstakes Award for overall advertising quality as well.
Another Starnes Media publication, 280 Living, won first place in the FOI-First Amendment category for Taylor Bright’s coverage of leadership and policy changes at the North Shelby Library. Starnes Media publications won 46 total APA awards.
This year, 53 publications submitted 1,725 entries in the annual contest. The Michigan Press Association membership judged the entries.
