For the fourth year in a row, the Daily Herald in Provo earned the Utah Press Association General Excellence award for Group 4, beating out other daily papers in Utah.

The General Excellence award is given in recognition for a newspaper’s excellence in both editorial and advertising content. This was only one of many awards the Daily Herald took home after Saturday’s UPA awards dinner in Sandy.

“I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Daily Herald has won the Excellence Award four straight years. The leadership of executive editor Jordan Carroll is displayed every day in the newspaper and online. She has developed a team of outstanding journalists and sport writers, but the Excellence award is for more than just great journalism. The award represents the best overall newspaper, including awards for design, special sections, best promotions and products that support local events,” said Rhett Long, Daily Herald publisher. “I’m proud of The Herald’s team and happy to see them recognized for the work they do every day.”

As a team, the features staff earned the top special section award for the paper’s pull-out Taste of Utah Valley magazine, which is published twice a year.

Katie England, the newspaper’s south county and politics reporter, garnered two first prize awards for her coverage about Squaw Peak’s name change and her investigative reporting on Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves and claims against him. Doug Fox, features editor, earned a top prize for his Fox Tales column. Sammy Jo Hester, former photo editor, earned two first place awards for news and feature photos. Isaac Hale, a staff photographer, earned the top prize for his sports photography. Sarah Bitterman won the top spot for print front page design.