This past weekend, the Harvard Press collected eight awards at the New England Better Newspaper Competition, an annual event hosted by the New England Newspaper and Press Association—including a second-place prize for general excellence and three first-place prizes for reporting, cartooning, and photography.
For the third straight year, the Press was recognized for its high quality among small weekly newspapers with circulations of less than 5,000, winning second place (or as we prefer to call it, a “silver medal”) in the “general excellence” category. It’s an award in which everyone who contributes to the Press can take pride, reflecting the work that goes into each issue—from the quality and scope of the paper’s reporting to its layout and photography.
But that’s not all. Longtime cartoonist Hakan Sahin won first place in the editorial cartoon category this year for his sardonic drawing of a Steward hospital, “closed for reprofitization” with a puzzled EMS crew waiting outside its locked doors.
Photographer Jen Manell won gold for her first-place news feature photo of pink-clad Harvard lifeguards riding on a Barbie-themed float in last summer’s Fourth of July parade.
And yet another first-place prize went to former UMass Amherst Press intern Grace Fiori, who won gold in the local personality profile category for “A good day to plow,” her portrait of longtime local farmer Paul Willard.
And there’s more. Reporter Joan Eliyesil won a coveted second place in the investigative/enterprise category for her deeply researched piece on the unequal distribution of opioid funds to Massachusetts towns.
Photo editor and co-owner Lisa Aciukewicz won second place for her feature photo of an artist at work in Fivesparks.
Julie Gowel, a relative newcomer to the Press, placed third in the environmental reporting category for her story on weed removal at the pond. And reporter Joan Eliyesil and editor John Osborn won third place in the “right-to-know” category for their reporting (and filing of a complaint) about a violation of the open meeting law by the Select Board.
We couldn’t be prouder of our small but mighty staff. Please join us in congratulating the winners. Their awards are a testament to the passion and commitment everyone at the Press brings each week to the task of putting out a paper of, by, and for the Harvard community.
If you value the work of the Press, now would be a good time to subscribe, renew, or most importantly, become a sustaining subscriber to show your appreciation for the work we do on what our accountant calls “a very lean budget.”