Newberry Observer

Duncan, Wigger bring home 6 SCPA awards

NEWBERRY — Kelly Duncan, staff writer, and Andrew Wigger, editor, were the recipients of six South Carolina Press Association awards during the 2018 SCPA Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation at the Spartanburg Marriott on Saturday.

Duncan earned second place in Enterprise Reporting for her article “Historical Discovery.” The piece came about after Poseidon Supplies and Equipment business owner, Glenn Hamm, discovered original lettering of an old Bank of Prosperity sign while making renovations to his storefront.

This is Duncan’s first SCPA award.

Wigger earned third place in Enterprise Reporting for his article “New way to travel.” This article involved Hanna Elshoff who traveled through Newberry County as a part of her journey across the country in her electric car.

Wigger took second place in Reporting in Depth for his article “Teacher shortage reality.” The article discussed the looming teacher shortage and how the Newberry County School District was working to address it, and recruit more teachers into the profession.

Wigger took second place in News Feature Writing for his article “Dopey’s says goodbye.” This feature article involved an interview with Buzz and Rose Edwards and the closing of Dopey’s Cafe after being in business for approximately 60 years. The article also featured interviews from Newberry College alumni and their memories of the restaurant.

Wigger also took home third and second place in Sports Feature Writing for his articles “Giving it his all” and “Elkins is big in rugby,” respectively. The first article was a profile piece on Newberry College wrestler Trung Duong. The second was a profile article on Ty Elkins, who has been making a name for himself in rugby, and had participated in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

In total, Wigger has received seven SCPA awards. In 2015, he earned second place in Column Writing and first place in Sports Enterprise Reporting.

“We here at The Newberry Observer could not be more proud of Andrew and Kelly for their South Carolina Press Association awards. These awards demonstrate the hard work and passion they put into their articles every day,” said Publisher Denny Koenders.

Andrew Wigger (left) was the recipient of five South Carolina Press Association Awards and Kelly Duncan (right) was the recipient of her first award.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Image-11.jpgAndrew Wigger (left) was the recipient of five South Carolina Press Association Awards and Kelly Duncan (right) was the recipient of her first award.

Staff Report