Freaking out one more time about my Missouri Press award

There’s a difference between knowing you’ve won and actually being handed the prize. I knew for months I was among the four recipients of this year’s Outstanding Young Journalist Award, and I was thrilled, but it was more like knowing a favorite holiday is coming up — great news, but not immediate.

Now, all of you loyal readers of the DAR also knew I won, so I promise to let you go back to reading real news after this. I just need to freak out one more time.

Winning finally felt real when the four of us stepped onstage last weekend at the conclusion of the Missouri Press Association conference. A couple awardees were from much larger papers and I was amazed to be counted with them. I couldn’t stop smiling when our plaques were passed out, and I rode that high all the way back from St. Louis.

The funny thing is, I didn’t expect much in the leadup to the MPA’s Better Newspapers Contest, the overarching competition of the Outstanding Young Journalist Award. Looking back through my most prized assignments was fun, but I had real assignments due and the submission process was just something to get done. Plus, it’s a statewide competition. The Daily American Republic as a whole wins prizes almost every year (because we’re awesome) but I doubted my individual writing warranted attention. In fact, I’ve felt woefully underqualified for many of my bigger or more serious pieces. Would a competent journalist really need to research as much as I do?

Apparently, yes. And as an award-winning journalist I can now say underestimating yourself doesn’t keep you from fantastic results. I’m sure I’ll unlearn and relearn this lesson multiple times, but the plaque by my desk goes a long way toward making it stick.

Next year I’ll age out of the “young” category, at least according to contest rules, but I’ll always strive to be an outstanding journalist. Thank you for joining and supporting me as I grow in this career and strive to bring you quality community journalism.

Samantha Tucker is assistant editor at the Daily American Republic. She can be reached at stucker@darnews.com.