TIFTON – Tifton Gazette Sports Editor Becky Taylor was named Sports Columnist of the Year in the Best of the CNHI editorial contest.

The Gazette was a finalist in several Division III categories, including Newspaper of the Year and Magazine of the Year for sister publication Tifton Scene. Taylor was also a finalist for Sportswriter of the Year and Photographer of the Year. Editor Dean Poling was a finalist for Columnist of the Year and Editorial Writer of the Year.

Of Taylor’s winning sports columns, the judges noted, “Taylor knows the beats she covers. She is obviously very well connected in the local sports scene and writes from a knowledgeable point of view. Readers most likely look forward to seeing what she will have to say in her next column.”

Taylor has been with The Tifton Gazette for nearly 10 years. She has won several awards in the past from Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press, including first-place awards for Best Sports Column, Sports Reporting, Sports Photo, Sports Pages, Photo Essay, etc.

Of the CNHI award, Taylor said, “I’m thrilled to win the award for best CNHI Sports Columnist of my division but I’m more thrilled for Tifton. The Gazette was a finalist in many categories, including Newspaper of the Year. To have the team I have is extraordinary and I can’t wait to see what we do next year. I would like to also thank the voting committee which saw literary merit in ‘Dumb and Dumber’ references and Atlanta sports fan pessimism.”