Upstate Newspapers Garner Multiple Recognitions
South Carolina's press corps saw a flurry of awards distributed at the South Carolina Press Association Annual Meeting and Awards on Friday, March 6, 2026. Journalists from the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, and Anderson Independent Mail were among those recognized for their contributions. Specifically, the Anderson Independent Mail secured five awards, the Greenville News took home two, and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal received one.
Ken Ruinard of the Anderson Independent-Mail emerged as a notable recipient, earning a first-place award for his Photo Series or Photo Story titled "Banana Ball for 81,000." He also claimed first place for Sports Feature Photo with an image of Clemson sophomore Julia Knowler hitting a home run, alongside a second-place award for Feature Photo, "Pumpkin time," depicting Joan White with her great-grandchildren. Alex Martin, a photojournalist for the Greenville News, was awarded second place in Sports Video for "Former Spartanburg Slugger throws first pitch at game honoring Negro League."
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Broader Media Landscape Acknowledges Contributors
Beyond the Upstate contingent, other publications also saw their staff acknowledged. The Post and Courier's Greenville and Spartanburg newsrooms combined accounted for eight awards across various coverage areas. Reporters Anna Mitchell, Conor Hughes, Lillia Callum-Penso, and Chris Lavender from The Post and Courier received recognition for beats including Education, Growth and Development, Short Story, Food Writing, and Business Beat. Former Greenville reporters Benjamin Simon and David Ferrara also garnered second-place finishes for Sports Feature Story and Informational Graphic/Social Media Use, respectively.
The State newspaper reported a substantial haul of 39 awards, including first place for general excellence in digital. One of their writers was honored with a first-place award in the growth and development beat category and also received a first-place award for education beat reporting for stories concerning charter schools, traditional public schools, and school vouchers. This same writer secured a second-place award in the open division for investigative reporting and another second place in the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism.
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The Sumter Item's Alaysha Maple was named Journalist of the Year, a designation highlighted as a significant achievement for the publication. The Sumter Item itself claimed 25 awards, including 10 first-place wins.
Background Context
The South Carolina Press Association's annual meeting serves as a platform to present awards across a broad spectrum of journalistic categories. This year's event, held on March 6, 2026, featured the announcement of numerous winners from a pool of over 3,000 submitted entries. Details regarding specific "Secret winners," "President’s Cup winners," and "Best of the Best" were slated to be revealed at the assembly. The association indicated that duplicate awards and plaque bases are available for purchase. Separate awards were also presented for the Collegiate Contest.