The New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) honored top-performing newspapers and journalists in various categories on September 21 during a luncheon at the NENPA/NYPA Fall Publishers’ Conference in Providence, RI. The awards spotlighted distinguished publications, individual stories, and outstanding achievements in community journalism.
Here are the winners of this year’s awards:
Newspapers of the Year
Specialty Publications:
Distinguished: New Boston Beacon (New Boston, NH), Valley Advocate (Northampton, MA)
Newspaper of the Year: Providence Business News (Providence, RI)
Online News Publications:
Distinguished: VT Digger (Montpelier, VT), Connecticut Inside Investigator (Hartford, CT)
Newspaper of the Year: Rhode Island Current (Providence, RI)
Weekly Newspapers (Small Circulation):
Distinguished: The Vermont Standard (Woodstock, VT), Monadnock Ledger-Transcript (Peterborough, NH)
Newspaper of the Year: The Provincetown Independent (Provincetown, MA)
Weekly Newspapers (Large Circulation):
Distinguished: Addison County Independent (Middlebury, VT), Ipswich Local News (Ipswich, MA), The Inquirer and Mirror (Nantucket, MA)
Newspaper of the Year: Seven Days (Burlington, VT)
Daily Newspapers (Small Circulation):
Distinguished: The Keene Sentinel (Keene, NH), Greenfield Recorder (Greenfield, MA)
Newspaper of the Year: Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA)
Daily Newspapers (Large Circulation):
Distinguished: Republican-American (Waterbury, CT), The Day (New London, CT)
Newspaper of the Year: Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA)
Sunday Newspapers (Small Circulation)
Distinguished: The New Britain Herald (New Britain, CT), Eagle Times (Claremont, NH)
Newspaper of the Year: Sunday Monitor (Concord, NH)
Sunday Newspapers (Large Circulation)
Distinguished: The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA), Sunday Republican (Springfield, MA)
Newspaper of the Year: The Day (New London, CT)
Publick Occurrences Awards
This prestigious award category celebrates individual and team merit for remarkable journalism in New England. This year, 14 awards were presented to the following winners:
Concord Monitor (Concord, NH)
“Planning the End”: A profound and timely series on a bone cancer patient’s journey with medical aid-in-dying as New Hampshire debates related laws.
Seven Days (Burlington, VT)
“The Loss of Grace”: A deeply engaging narrative on the deficiencies of Vermont’s youth treatment system.
“Robbie Mafuta: A young man’s path through the mental health care system”: A powerful story about a mentally ill homeless immigrant facing the criminal justice system.
“Vermont’s Relapse”: A well-crafted exposé on the drug crisis in Vermont, highlighting evolving issues with substances like fentanyl and methamphetamine.
“The Fight for Decker Towers”: This report gave a voice to the elderly and disabled residents of Decker Towers battling against drug users and squatters.
“This Old State”: The series takes a comprehensive, long-overdue look at the aging population in Vermont and the ramifications, everything from an 82-year-old US Senator to the importance of an aging workforce, to lack of transportation and the effects of loneliness.
The Maine Monitor (Hallowell, ME)
“Maine’s Long-Term Challenge”: An investigation into the inadequate oversight and enforcement in Maine’s residential care facilities.
“Maine’s Part Time Court”: A series uncovering the lack of oversight in Maine’s probate courts, exposing financial abuse and wrongful deaths.
The Keene Sentinel (Keene, NH)
“Covering the LGBTQ+ Community”: A comprehensive package examining legislative proposals in New Hampshire that could limit LGBTQ+ rights.
Rhode Island Catholic (Providence, RI)
“Israel at War Series”: A remarkable 4-part report on the conflict in Israel and Gaza, written from firsthand observations.
The Providence Journal (Providence, RI)
“Nursing Home Investigation”: An in-depth report uncovering severe abuse and neglect in Rhode Island’s nursing homes, accompanied by a unique database of incidents.
VT Digger (Montpelier, VT)
“A False Narrative”: An exploration of the dispute between Canadian and Vermont Abenaki groups regarding state recognition of Indigenous status.
“Following the Floods”: An exemplary response to Vermont’s 2023 floods, providing life-saving information and highlighting inequities related to the disaster.
Maine Trust for Local News (Lewiston, ME)
“Lewiston Mass Shooting”: Journalists who are part of the Maine Trust launched continuing, extraordinary efforts to report what had happened, the hunt for the killer, the communities in mourning, and how the murders had affected Maine, even though nearly all records for public records were denied.
Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award
Awarded to The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA) for its editorial, “When police search classrooms for books,” which called out police overreach during a search for LGBTQ+-related literature in a middle school.
New England First Amendment Award
This year’s winner, Maine Trust for Local News, was recognized for its relentless pursuit of public records related to the Lewiston mass shooting, shining a light on investigative failures.
Cornerstone Award
Susan Leggett, production manager at Addison County Independent (Middlebury, VT), was honored with the inaugural Cornerstone Award for her nearly 50 years of dedication to production, community connections, and unwavering loyalty to the paper.
Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award
Kris Craig of The Providence Journal (Providence, RI) received the award for his 39-year career capturing the essence of Rhode Island through powerful photojournalism.
These awards exemplify the commitment to journalistic excellence across New England, with winners contributing significantly to their communities and the field of journalism at large.