At the Country Press SA awards night in Renmark, the newspaper took first prize for Best Advertisement (Image/Branding).

Senior advertising representative Anne-Mairi Spad-avecchia co-ordinated the design of the advertisement which was for Uptown Girl.

The judge said entry delivered a strong message, “but does not over-complicate or clutter the design”.

“It doesn’t ‘over-promise’, but makes a simple and clear statement that Uptown Girl as a brand is young, lively and in tune with fashions,” the judge said.

“Through the use of plenty of white space, minimal text and fun images, the brand is well represented on a fairly heavy and colourful page.

“At a glance the reader knows what the brand stands for.

“The fun line of ‘love being gorgeous’ is strong and speaks to a target market that aspires to all that statement stands for.

“This is a clear winner as a true image-branding piece.”

Mrs Spadavecchia was thrilled with the result, describing it as “excellent” and “really rewarding”.

“It just shows the hard work pays off,” she said.

She said Uptown Girl staff member Rosalyn Giancaspro and she had picked out the photos for the advertisement and scanned them.

“It shows our strong connection with local business. I am sure the owner, Marcia Blieschke, will be rapt,” Mrs Spadavecchia said.

Recorder manager Greg Mayfield said he was proud of Mrs Spadavecchia who was developing into a highly-regarded and creative senior advertising representative.

The newspaper finished second in the Best News Photo category with an image taken by journalist Kellie Higginbottom of four boys leaping into the water at Solomontown Beach.

The judge praised the picture of the “nicely-composed jetty jumpers”.

Journalist Val Rafanelli took third prize in the Excellence in Journalism section for her report on Wendy Hay who went missing in the freezing cold of the Flinders Ranges for 48 hours.

“Val’s challenge was to find Mr and Mrs Hay and persuade them to talk – never an easy task,” the judge said.

“Her persistence over a couple of days paid off when Mrs Hay gave her an interview.”

The newspaper ranked third in Best Newspaper (Circulation 2500 to 6000).

The judge said the leading trio were hard to separate.

He described The Recorder as “lively with extensive news coverage, worthy promotion of youth activities, the quirky Nosey Parker

column and well-composed features”.

“Sharp print quality and professional advertising production enhance the overall package,” he said.