2026 national Better Newspaper Contest winners announced
Jul 7, 2026
Judges have submitted their results and winners of the National Newspaper Association Foundation’s 2026 Better Newspaper Contest and Better Newspaper Advertising Contest are posted below.
Winners will be recognized at the awards ceremony held Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, during NNAF’s 140th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Detroit, Michigan.
To register to attend the awards, please go to https://www.nnafoundation.org/convention.
In the 2026 Better Newspaper Editorial Contest, newspapers submitted 1,552 entries; in the Better Newspaper Advertising Contest, newspapers submitted 246 entries; for a total of 1,798 entries.
Entries came from 93 newspapers in 32 states, and judges distributed 724 awards.
The staff at Grosse Pointe News, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, won the all-new “It’s All About Audience” category, sponsored by the Tonda Rush Scholarship fund.
Tonda Rush, NNA’s longtime legal counsel, said, “This newspaper's fishing tournament indeed checked all the boxes. It got people involved in the community, developed its own audience and showed that newspapers can attract a demographic that might otherwise not pay much attention to the news. All round a stellar performance!”
Grosse Pointe News Publisher Anne Gryzenia will receive a $500 honorarium and one free registration to NNAF’s 2026 convention in Detroit.
The winner also becomes a founding member of NNA’s new Marketing Circle — joining Rick Bussler of the Steele County Times in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota — which will hold periodic discussions on best ways to build audience for NNA members.
The Public Notice Resource Center’s sponsored category, the Michael Kramer Best Public Notice Journalism Award, was awarded to Rachel Miller of the Henderson (Minnesota) Independent.
The judge said, “This story series originated with the publication of a public notice for a Conditional Use Permit for a temporary asphalt plant on April 25, 2025. Following that publication, two different local residents, with two very different concerns, reached out. Over the following weeks, the issue ignited township residents where it was proposed, who turned out in large numbers to oppose it, and were ultimately successful in getting some restrictions put on the plant. It goes to show the importance of keeping public notices in the newspaper, which is particularly important as Minnesota legislators have pursued removal of public notices the past two years.”
The Wyoming Press Association was awarded the seventh annual “Best of NNA” Award for their 114 winning entries, beating out Texas with 69 wins and California with 67 wins. This is Wyoming’s sixth award for excellence in editorial and advertising.
The winner’s book and a list of awards by newspaper are available here: https://www.nnafoundation.org/better-newspaper-contest
Judging was performed primarily by active community newspaper editors and publishers, as well as retired university journalism professors and retired or former newspaper professionals. A judge said, “The final decisions were incredibly challenging this year, as there was an immense volume of exceptionally high-quality work to evaluate. Every single participant should be deeply proud of what they submitted!”
Established in 1885, the National Newspaper Association (NNA) is the voice of America’s community newspapers and is one of the largest newspaper associations in the country. The NNA Foundation (NNAF) is the educational arm of the NNA. Its mission is to promote news literacy, protect the First Amendment, and enhance the quality, role and capabilities of community newspapers and community journalists.
NNA/NNAF Executive Director Lynne Lance would like to personally thank the 60+ judges who took the time out of their very busy schedules to judge this contest. If you are interested in judging this contest or the many other state contests, please sign up here: https://nna.formstack.com/forms/judgennaf
Judges praised the publications for engaging their community, keeping them informed, and providing commentary that keeps a paper at the heart of the community. Many expressed the wish to grant all entries in their category a placement, because every single one was worth it.
Access the winner’s lists here: https://www.nnafoundation.org/better-newspaper-contest
Please look over your winning entries carefully and then fill out this form with any edits and preferences for mailing by July 15, 2026: https://nna.formstack.com/forms/nnafbnc
