Dispatch wins top award at state contest By Dispatch Staff Report 11 hours ago From left, Slim Smith, Stella Yu, Theo DeRosa, Tess Vrbin, Claire Hassler, Birney Imes and Matt Garner BILOXI — The Dispatch won the General Excellence category for medium-sized dailies at the annual Mississippi Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. It was one of 26 total awards, including 10 for first place, the newspaper received in a ceremony Saturday afternoon for work completed in 2020. The General Excellence category considers the entire newspaper product, including editorial content and design. “I’m extremely proud of our newsroom for the General Excellence Award,” publisher Peter Imes said. “Last year we had a wide range of major unprecedented stories, and our newsroom rose to the challenge. I also need to point out our advertising department won first place in General Excellence earlier this year. That we would win both of the top awards in the state speaks to our entire staff’s commitment to publishing the best paper possible for the Golden Triangle.”