The Daily Iberian and our now-national magazine, Acadiana Lifestyle, picked up 18 awards during the 2021 Louisiana Publishers Association Awards Banquet in Baton Rogue.

The magazine was honored for story and photo packages and the judge’s enjoyed the innovative advertising pages.

Shanna Dickens, the General Manager of Acadiana Lifestyles Magazine and the Daily Iberian, brought home the 18 awards from the banquet.

“2021 was an interesting year. As we were starting to come out of the pandemic we were met with completely new sets of challenges,” Dickens said. “For that reason it was pretty incredible to see our team honored for everything we were able to accomplish. We provided quality journalism to our audience when they needed answers and when they needed entertainment. And not just us, it was a true showcase of the excellent job all of our industry peers did last year.”

The magazine staff was also honored for design, layout and for creating ads.

“It’s great to see the large amount of work we pour into each of our publications be recognized by our peers, said Michael D. Messerly, publisher of Acadiana Lifestyle Magazine and the Daily Iberian. “The recognition for Acadiana Lifestyle proves we’ve still got the best magazine in the state and why it now has a national subscription audience.”

The newspaper took home second place in overall general excellence. Judges went over a random sample of newspapers during the year. The newspaper staff also picked up several sports awards, feature writing awards and photography awards.

MAGAZINE AWARDS

1st Place, Acadiana Lifestyle, BEST MULTIPLE ADVERTISER PAGE, 1. Anne Songy; 2 & 3.Robert Frey, 1.Focus on Food; 2.Holiday Gift Guide; 3.Christmas Gift Guide

1st Place, Acadiana Lifestyle, BEST PHOTO PACKAGE (3 or more photos), 1.Cameron Theyard; 2.Sarah Soprano; 3.Lee Ball, 1. Fall Bridal Showcase; 2.On the Corner; 3.Woman of Style

Judges Comments: The photos in these packages are a nice complement to the editorial content and help draw the reader in with richness of color and texture.

1st Place, Acadiana Lifestyle, BEST FEATURE STORY, 1.Ellen Fucich; 2. Alexis Marino; 3.Anne Songy. 1.Beware the Rougarou; 2.En Francais; 3.Gruenig Story

Judges Notes: “This is a nice collection of three different stories. the one on the French language in schools is well done with good background on state law regulating the teaching of foreign languages. The second piece is a sensitive profile of an interesting person, and the third on is a really well done retelling of local folk lore. Love to local angles on all of these. That’s what features are supposed to provide — insights into the people and their lives of local communities.”

1st Place, Acadiana LifeStyle, Best Headline, 1.Ellen Fucich; 2.Anne Songy; 3.Patrice Doucet. 1. Beware the Rougarou; 2.Hoofbeats; 3. Paper Trails

1st Place, Acadiana LifeStyle, BEST LAYOUT AND DESIGN Gary Hebert Award: 1.Robert Frey; 2.Anne Songy; 3.Anne Songy. 1.MIP; 2.On Trend; 3.Paddle Trail

Judges Notes: “Crisp, clean designs. Great job. A clear winner. “

1st Place, Acadiana LifeStyle, GENERAL EXCELLENCE, Anne Songy, Robert Frey, November and December issues.

Judges Notes: Clear, concise themes in both issues I saw. All the elements come together perfectly. Good photography, good writing, good layout and good ad design.

1st Place, Acadiana LifeStyle, Best Front Page. April: Robert Frey; others: Anne Songy, Best Front Page April, Sept, Nov, Dec

Judges Notes: Very creative. Art jumps off the page.

Editorial, 1st Place, Acadiana Lifestyle, IN-PAPER PROMOTION, Robert Frey. Bridal Promo; Dining Guide Promo; Progress Promo

3rd Place, Acadiana Lifestyle, STAFF GENERATED AD, Robert Frey, Ashley Blue; Cajun Sugar; Mill Side Market

Judges Notes: “Ashley Blue — I liked how they used a background color that was a part of the business name. layout was simple but stood out”

Newspaper Editorial Division

Division 2, 2nd Place, The Daily Iberian, BEST FEATURE PHOTO. Corey Vaughn, Santa Delivers Early,

Editorial, 2nd Place, The Daily Iberian, BEST SPORTS COLUMN, Don Shoopman, Overtime Outdoors (Aggies stuff aside; Bears being bears).

Editorial 3rd Place, The Daily Iberian, BEST NEWS STORY, Dwayne Fatherree “Lewis Family Makes Combating Gun Violence Their Priority.”

Editorial, 1st Place, The Daily Iberian, BEST SPORTS COLUMN, Raymond Partsch III, “For the Most Partsch.”

Editorial, Second Place, The Daily Iberian, BEST FEATURE STORY, Raymond Partsch III, “Jesus Coordinator.”

Judges Notes: Incredible profile of someone who has lived quite a journey. Hooked me early and stayed with me until the end.

2nd Place, The Daily Iberian, BEST SPORTS STORY, Raymond Partsch III, Diaz Overwhelmed.

Judges Notes: Great game story that goes beyond what happened on the course. Editorial

3rd Place, The Daily Iberian, BEST SPORTS PHOTO, Raymond Partsch III, “Roberto Diaz is doused.”

2nd Place, The Daily Iberian, GENERAL EXCELLENCE, Staff (collections of the best newspapers in Louisiana).

2nd Place, The Daily Iberian, IN-PAPER PROMOTION, Staff, Rainy Day, Judges said, “Clever use of timely messaging w/ weather tie-in.”