The Yazoo Herald and our exceptional staff have won many awards over the years. Our publication has garnered recognition from news agencies since our inception in 1871.
The history of our publication runs deep into the developmental history of our community. Much of our work routinely impacts both local and state-wide elements within Mississippi.
Our editorial standards, consistent striving for excellence and our general sense of integrity have led to our paper featuring some outstanding award-winning journalism. Listed below are some of our most recent awards.
The Yazoo Herald was singled out for General Excellence as the leading newsroom within its state division during the annual Better Newspaper Media Contest presented by the Mississippi Press Association. The Herald earned a total of 22 awards with 11 first place honors.
Editor and Publisher Jamie Patterson won the Bill Minor Prize for General News Reporting for weeklies. Patterson, a multiple-award winner for this prize in the past, reported on the cold case death of a Yazoo County man. This year’s honor marks the seventh time she has brought the Bill Minor Prize home to Yazoo County.
"These awards prove the good community-focused work that is going on in newsrooms all over the state," said Mississippi Press President George R. Turner, publisher of The Greene County Herald in Leakesville and The Richton Dispatch. "We are proud of all of these hard-working journalists."
Patterson earned this year’s Bill Minor Prize for General News Reporting for her coverage on the cold case death of Darius Woods, whose case remains unsolved four years later. She also earned a second-place honor in the General News Reporting category for her coverage of the closure of the local Boys and Girls Club.
Patterson earned a first-place award in In-Depth or Investigative Reporting for her coverage of The Asylum Hill Project, which highlighted local patients from the former Mississippi State Insane Asylum who died at the facility and were possibly among the thousands who were buried on the hospital grounds.
“An incredible read that would do well in a textbook given to every journalism student,” judges commented. “A very local story told in a way that only a newspaper can do.”
Sports Writer Joffre Washington won a first-place award in Game Story for his coverage of the Yazoo City High School Indians’ 5A Championship game against Canton High School.
“Washington writes with great descriptions and transitions so that the reader feels like they were at the basketball game,” judges commented.
Jason Patterson also won a first-place award in Sports Feature Photograph for his Little League coverage, “Small Ball, Big Dreams.”
“Love how the colors pop, and his eye contact is adorable,” judges commented, on the entry of a local youth baseball player. “The sharp focus on the subject is great.”
The Yazoo Herald’s total awards included:
First Place
General Excellence-The Yazoo Herald
Best General News Story – Jamie Patterson
Breaking News Story-Jamie Patterson
In-Depth or Investigative-Jamie Patterson
Planned Series-Jamie Patterson
Game Story-Joffre Washington
General Interest Column-Jamie Patterson
Feature Story-Jamie Patterson
Spot News Photograph-Jamie Patterson
Sports Feature Photograph-Jason Patterson
Special Section-Jamie Patterson, Jason Patterson
Second Place
General News Reporting-Jamie Patterson
In-Depth or Investigative Reporting-Jamie Patterson
Planned Series-Jamie Patterson
Sports News Story-Joffre Washington
Commentary Column-Jamie Patterson
Sports Feature Photograph-Jason Patterson
Third Place
Game Story-Jason Patterson
Feature Story-Jamie Patterson
Personality Portrait-Jamie Patterson
Editorials-Jamie Patterson
Honorable Mention
General News Photograph-Jason Patterson
As a final note, we would like to thank each member of our staff for helping us achieve this level of recognition over the years. We sincerely appreciate how driven they have been toward the cause of great journalism.
We would also like to thank our readers, who remain committed to keeping up with the news from Yazoo.
