Myrtle Beach newspaper wins 59 SC Press Association awards for local news coverage, photos

The Sun News won the South Carolina Press Association’s President’s Cup for an outstanding mid-sized daily newspaper, as well as 58 other awards. Staff received recognition for including 17 first-place spots for investigative reporting, breaking news, features, headline writing and more.

Investigative reporter David Weissman received recognition for multiple special awards and visual journalist Jason Lee swept the feature photo, humorous photo and pictorial categories, with first, second and third-place awards.

The association hosted its annual awards luncheon in Columbia Friday to highlight the best journalism and journalists around South Carolina. Here’s The Sun News’ best recent coverage, as recognized by the SCPA.

Special awards

David Weissman

A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism - Weissman took home first place for the A-Mark award. The SCPA awarded him $5,000 and The Sun News $2,500 for the A-Mark prize.

Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism - Weissman also won the first-place for Jay Bender Award and $250.

Elizabeth Brewer

Montgomery/Shurr Freedom of Information Award - Brewer took home an honorable mention for the freedom of information category.

First place awards

Adam Benson

Lifestyle Feature Writing - Do you recall these famed downtown Myrtle Beach businesses? They helped shape the city.

Ben Morse

Sports Enterprise Reporting

• Here’s how much money CCU’s NCAA athletes have made in NIL. What does it mean?

• Exclusive: CCU quarterback made $15K in the largest known CCU NIL deal. What we know.

Sports Feature Story - A teal tie helped new AD Chance Miller win over Coastal Carolina. This is his plan for CCU

David Weissman

Investigative Reporting

• His historic donations to CCU and FAMU were shams. How an unknown Texan deceived colleges

• They believed his billionaire facade. After failed gifts to CCU, FAMU, they feel ‘scammed’

• Historic, fraudulent FAMU gift came from his hemp company. What we know about the business

• CCU is hiding investigation of failed donor. Could FL college been spared embarrassment?

• Who is CCU’s donor whose $95M gift never came? He’s reappeared in FL pledging more money

Emalyn Muzzy and Terri Richardson

Breaking News Reporting

• Death of South Carolina pastor’s wife has gone viral on TikTok. Here’s what we can confirm

• Death of SC pastor’s wife was announced to the congregation. Her story has gone national

• Surveillance footage shows Mica Miller buying a gun. Evidence released includes 911 call

• Five things to know about the death of Mica Miller, the wife of a Myrtle Beach, SC pastor

• Details about Mica Miller and her husband’s relationship revealed in SC court documents

• The FBI is assisting with Mica Miller death investigation. Here’s what we know

• Exclusive: ‘I was the best husband I could possibly be.’ SC pastor on his wife Mica Miller

• ‘Mica’s justice.’ SC pastor John-Paul Miller in court regarding his late wife, Mica Miller

• FBI searching home of former Myrtle Beach pastor John Paul Miller. Crowd gathers to watch

• Update: Former Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul Miller arrested. Details of arrest released

Jason Lee

Feature Photo - Hair flying, a woman dances in front of cruising traffic on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. Memorial Day weekend known as the unofficial start of summer tourism also marks the culmination of Atlantic Beach Bikefest, aka ‘Black Bike Week’ which has long sparked controversy in the area.

Humorous Photo - Trina Owens reacts as her pet spider monkeys Charlotte and Pixie, climb all over her during a visit with fellow monkey owners in Longs, S.C. The monkey’s owners say that the primates help them deal with depression and other emotional issues.

Obituary - Remembering Murrells Inlet’s ‘last original oysterman,’ Franklin Smalls, aka ‘Snakeman’

Photo Series or Photo Story - Brookgreen Gardens is hosting its last nights of its “Summer Light: Art by Night” series this weekend. The historic sculpture garden in Murrells Inlet, S.C. has added two nights to the end of the summer schedule. The event features live music, food trucks, and light installations throughout the gardens.

Pictorial - Megan Baker, a Brookgreen Gardens staff member, wades into a pool to extinguish the floating candles at the end of the Nights of a Thousand candles on Thursday. Nights of a Thousand candles at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is in its 24th year and is one of the south’s most celebrated holiday destinations. Three thousand candles are lit each night and there are over 180,000 lights hanging from the trees in Oak Allee alone. More than 80,000 tickets have been sold to this year’s events.

Short Story - How a famous TV show fight scene made this Myrtle Beach artist an internet sensation

Kara Ellis and Orizo Hajigurban

Use of Social Media

Roshan Lal

Feature Page Design

Terri Richardson

Feature Headline Writing

• Myrtle Beach home has more bathrooms than a football team. You can buy it for $7.6 million

• No ifs or butts. Law says don’t let it all hang out during spring break in Myrtle Beach SC

• How a SC coach went from a red dirt road to one of country’s legendary baseball coaches

Food Writing - Myrtle Beach man cooks way to final 3 on ‘Master Chef.’ You can meet him at a watch party

Second place awards

The Sun News Staff

General Excellence - Digital

Ben Morse

Arts and Entertainment Writing - Greg Rowles is opening his new North Myrtle Beach theater. Take a look inside

Growth and Development Beat Reporting

• Exclusive: Myrtle Beach’s closed speedway is redeveloping into massive townhome community

• Myrtle Beach custom home builders relied on new golf courses. They might be out of land

• Myrtle Beach is a retirement destination like Florida. Developers want to accommodate them

Judson Chapman Award - Myrtle Beach’s J-1 workers are critical for local businesses. Are they getting scammed?

David Weissman

Enterprise Reporting - Shooting pledges and eating dirt: Inside the fraternity suspended from Coastal Carolina

Lifestyle Feature Writing - Golf cart parades, country show and group hugs: How Myrtle Beach became campground haven

David Weissman and Loumay Alesali

News Video - What happened with fraudulent $237M donation to Florida A&M? Watch the graduation speech

Elizabeth Brewer

Investigative Reporting - How is Myrtle Beach getting $4.9 million? There’s a complex web of LLCs and a nonprofit

Sports Enterprise Reporting - The Business of Baseball: Financial Transparency with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Emalyn Muzzy

Government Beat Reporting

• How did this SC small town rack up a $1.8 million deficit? It’s just the latest problem

• SC beachfront town wants to be a historic district. Will it impact future development?

• Atlantic Beach candidate: ‘Girl, get off my phone.’ Town’s election called ‘embarrassing’

Profile Feature Writing or Story - Sunset Beach Maze Man has captivated vacationers and locals. How he makes his sand designs

Isaac Bailey

Faith Beat Reporting

• A Black church was the perfect place for Biden–and protesters–to speak out

• While bombs rained down in Gaza strip, we watched pretty Super Bowl ads for Jesus

• Sen. Tim Scott fashions himself a Christian. Why does he lie about Trump and crime?

Column Writing

• New guilty plea in Brittanee Drexel’s murder shows justice to be slow and unequal

• End AP African American Studies? I don’t know how much more Black people in SC can take

• Trump shows weakness as he sullies the South Carolina-Clemson football game

Jason Lee

Feature Photo - Jude Williams, age 9, plays with toys in a tidal pool on Cherry Grove in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Williams is an autistic child and his mother, Jenny, says the pools offer an opportunity for him to play on the beach without being overwhelmed by ocean waves. Beach goers enjoy the sand bars and tidal pools at the tip of Cherry Grove in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. The area, also known as Cherry Grove Point, has sand bars and tidal pools exposed during low tide. June 12, 2024.

Feature Video - Myrtle Beach pastor reflects on efforts to keep his wife alive, denies abuse claims

Humorous Photo - A fox got in a standoff with a muster of peafowl between homes in a Murrells Inlet neighborhood. Advancing towards the fox the fowl quickly prevailed in the encounter. More than 20 peafowl roam a residential neighborhood in Murrells Inlet, SC perching porches and rooftops. While some neighbors enjoy their colorful displays, others have complained that they scratch up cars and create a mess. Nov. 13, 2024.

Personality Photo or Portrait - Julia Crystal of Camila Dance Show performs a belly dancing and light show at the Jerusalem Mediterranean Restaurant in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Jan. 3, 2024.

Pictorial - Lights dance around the arena as performers practice for the Medieval Times dinner theater in Myrtle Beach. One hundred thirty five team members prepare for their nightly performances that include sword fights, jousting, falconry and horseback riding. The tournament of knights can host up to 1,234 guests. Sept. 26, 2024.

Maria Elena Scott

Feature Headline Writing

• What the duck? A Myrtle Beach Jeep Jam guide to the viral game involving rubber birds

• The Myrtle Beach area is home to the most famous ghost in SC. Have you seen him?

• What’s it like to insult folks for a living? We asked staff at Dick’s Last Resort in SC to find out

Terri Richardson

News Headline Writing

• Woman gets a pedicure and then loses her big toe

• WMBF sports director accused of threatening to kill bar owner hours after Super Bowl

• Forget about the sharks. There are gators on the beaches in the Myrtle Beach, SC area

Third place awards

The Sun News Staff

Sports Headline Writing

• App State flipped off CCU players. See the photo Coastal put up in the football office

• One JMU player wore Kiss face paint for the Dukes’ game against CCU. Take a look

• Myrtle Beach loses $90k annually on the Pelicans. What to know about the baseball team

Ben Morse

Spot Sports Story - CCU dispatches Old Dominion. What it means for its high-stakes game vs. James Madison

Sports Enterprise Reporting - How CCU and App State’s rivalry serves as a microcosm for college football’s future

Elizabeth Brewer

Business Beat Reporting

• City of Myrtle Beach owned hotel on the verge of closing? What we know about negotiations

• Atlantic Beach on track to secure first high rise in their history. How did we get here?

• Almost $400k for an apartment in Myrtle Beach? Here’s what we know about the new complex

• Waccamaw Outfitters to shutdown after a decade. Here’s what we know about it

• The Myrtle Beach area has the only casino boats in South Carolina. Their costs could go up

Emalyn Muzzy

Education Beat Reporting

• Gun bypassed security, entered middle school. Horry County rethinks security after failure

• Horry to install weapons detection systems after gun incidents. What schools will get them

• North Myrtle Beach school canceled its football game over threats. Could it happen again?

Feature Headline Writing

• Suck Bang Blow isn’t just a raunchy bar name. Real meaning behind the SC biker bar’s title

• Tommy, the largest crab statue in world, can be found in Myrtle Beach, SC. Here’s where

• Seen this ugly sea creature wash up on Myrtle Beach SC area shores? Be careful, it bites

News Headline Writing

• A SC HOA is trying to control this home’s yard. The problem? It’s not in an HOA

• First 43 monkeys got loose, now there’s an emu on the run. Is SC the ‘new Florida’?

• A teenage girl allegedly raped on the beach while watching sunrise in North Myrtle Beach

Jason Lee

Feature Photo - A boy looks at one of the lighted art installations consisting of hanging wine bottles at Nights of a Thousand candles at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet. The event is in its 24th year and is one of the south’s most celebrated holiday destinations. Three thousand candles are lit each night and there are over 180,000 lights hanging from the trees in Oak Allee alone. More than 80,000 tickets have been sold to this year’s events. Nov. 30, 2023.

Feature Video - Explore These Beach Mazes Created In Sunset Beach, NC

Humorous Photo - Sweet Sophie and Sexy Lexi, owned by Danette Larsen of North Myrtle Beach, rode on the back of a motorcycle secured in a custom dog bed to Captain Archie’s bar on Friday evening. Bikers brought their animals including dogs, and even a ring tailed lemur to the bars during Myrtle Beach Bike Week’s Fall Rally. Oct. 4, 2024.

News Video - Myrtle Beach residents prepare for Debby by filling sandbags on Monday

Photo Series or Photo Story - Valentines Day at the home: A Valentines dance was held at the Ivy at Angel Oak Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Thursday night where staff members and family danced with residents in their wheel chairs. Flowers were delivered by local police officers and members of the Socastee High School FFA distributed boxes of candy to residents. At the end of the night a Valentine King and Queen was crowned. Feb. 14, 2024.

Pictorial - Hunter Gibbes, puts the final touches on a sand maze with his rake. Known locally as “Sunset Beach Maze Man,” Gibbes has been making mazes at Sunset Beach, N.C. for nearly 20 years. The sand artist makes up the designs on the spot. Vacationers and locals rush to complete the mazes he creates before the tide comes in and creates a clean slate for his next artwork. Aug. 1, 2024.

Sports Action Photo - Coastal’s Ethan Vasko rushes against App State. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers beat the Appalachian State Mountaineers 38-24 in front of the second-biggest Brooks Stadium crowd of the season on Thursday night. November 7, 2024.

Sports Video - How to play the iconic 13th hole like a pro

Spot News Photo - The roof of the ironically named Summer Wind Inn and Suites at 19th Avenue South in Myrtle Beach sustained damage to its roof during storms on Thursday forcing an evacuation of the hotel. April 11, 2024.

Terri Richardson

Arts and Entertainment Writing - Want to be in a music video? Here’s where one is being filmed in Myrtle Beach, SC area

Health Beat Reporting

• Myrtle Beach has West Nile virus cases. Should you be worried about influx of mosquitoes?

• How sea foam in Myrtle Beach area can hurt your dog. What to know if pet romps in ocean

• Planning a beach day? Where to find such info as water temp, hazards for Myrtle Beach area

Lifestyle Feature Writing - Myrtle Beach area great spot for finding sharks’ teeth. Shark tooth hunter offers his tips

Profile Feature Writing or Story - How a SC coach went from a red dirt road to one of country’s legendary baseball coaches

This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 6:00 AM.