Standard sports among bestFree Access


The Lakefield Standard’s sports section was judged among the best in the state last week during the annual convention of the Minnesota Newspaper Association.

Standard staff members were also recognized for individual excellence in journalism, photography, advertising and design at last week’s convention.

Awards for the Standard’s sports section, as well as individual awards, were announced last Thursday evening in Brooklyn Park during the annual Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet, a gala event annually sponsored by the MNA, an organization representing nearly 300 newspapers and news media organizations across the state of Minnesota.

The Standard’s sports section, overseen by longtime Standard sports editor Dan Condon, has been recognized as among the best in Minnesota for the last 12 years.

One article that graced the pages of the Standard’s award-winning sports section — a Nov. 11, 2021, article on the Jackson County Central volleyball team winning the Section 3AA championship — was honored as the best in Minnesota. Likewise, a June 2, 2022, photo of Reese Adkins competing at the South Section 2A track and field meet was recognized as among the best sports photos in the entire state. The judge of the sports photo category called Condon’s photo, “one of the coolest photos I’ve ever seen,” adding, “This is a winner, hands down.”

Condon also won the prestigious press photographer’s portfolio category and was honored for a feature photo of last year’s JCC commencement ceremony and photo story of JCC’s 2021 homecoming activities.

Standard publisher Justin Lessman was also recognized for his work over the course of the last year. Lessman, editor and publisher of the Standard since 2008, was honored as one of the top news writers and news photographers in the state.

A series of articles Lessman wrote in May 2022 on storm damage in Jackson County won the local breaking news coverage category and he placed second to Condon in the prestigious press photographer’s portfolio category. He was also recognized for excellence in hard news reporting, use of information graphics and graphic illustrations and self-promotion.

Longtime ad sales and marketing representative Dallas Luhmann teamed with longtime graphic designer Kathymarie Frederick to win second place with an institutional advertisement, Standard staff writer Joshua Schuetz claimed third prize with a news photo and Cole Behrends, a former graphic designer for the Standard, won an award for use of information graphics and graphic illustrations.

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