The Maine Trust for Local News, the state’s largest news organization, won more than 100 combined awards at an annual ceremony hosted Saturday by the Maine Press Association.
The Maine Trust, the parent company of the Portland Press Herald, the Sun Journal in Lewiston, Kennebec Journal in Augusta and Morning Sentinel in Waterville, swept the general excellence category for weekend papers. The Sunday edition of the Sun Journal won first place for the second year in a row, while the Maine Sunday Telegram came in second and Central Maine Sunday took third.
The Sun Journal and the Press Herald came in second and third for the general excellence award for daily papers, respectively.
“Congratulations to all of our winners for a worthy year of coverage,” Executive Editor Carolyn Fox said. “I feel lucky to work with all the journalists at the Maine Trust for Local News.”
The Maine Sunday Telegram also won the general excellence award in advertising.
STORIES THAT MATTER
The Press Herald won 49 awards, including 22 first-place wins. Among the journalists recognized was John Terhune, for “Breakdown,” a collaborative investigation with Maine Public and FRONTLINE into the deadly shooting that killed 18 people and wounded 13 in Lewiston on Oct. 25, 2023. Brianna Soukup was recognized for her photos of Roger and Jeanie Cannell, a couple struggling to find a stable home in southern Maine. Derek Davis won Best in Show for his striking photo of state police officers escorting the body of former Gov. Joseph Brennan into a public viewing in Portland.
Travis Lazarczyk and Leslie Bridgers won for their columns about sports and culture, respectively.
The Sun Journal took home 18 awards, including five first-place wins. Sports reporter Haley Jones won for a story about a hazing investigation at Lisbon High School, and Russ Dillingham won three first-place awards for his photos in the spot news, sports and feature categories.
The Morning Sentinel had three first-place awards out of 15 wins, including a story by Jake Freudberg about the promise of jobs at a new plywood mill. The Kennebec Journal had 10 awards. The four first-place wins included a story by Ethan Horton about how less snow is impacting local snowmobilers and a video by Joe Phelan about disc golf pros visiting Winthrop Middle School.
The Times Record, Franklin Journal, Advertiser Democrat, Livermore Falls Advertiser, Bethel Citizen, Rangeley Highlander and Southern Maine Weeklies also received recognition with several awards, including six for first place. Those stories included one by Nicole Carter about historic preservation in Norway and another by the late Pam Harnden about the closure of an egg farm in Turner.
Many awards also went to staff who sell and design advertising campaigns.
AN ‘UNSUNG HERO’
Readers know the work of Brian Robitaille, even if they don’t know his name. He is the design chief for the Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram and was recognized as this year’s “Unsung Hero,” an award given to a staff member whose contributions are essential but often overlooked.
Night city editor Pat Horne called Robitaille “the MVP of the Portland Press Herald.”
“He is the one person whose absence would instantly be felt,” Horne said. “Without Brian, the newspaper would be less intelligent, less engaging, less attractive, less compassionate. A consummate journalist and a treasured colleague, he is the heart and soul of the design and copy editing desk.”
The Bob Drake Young Writer Award went to Kristian Moravec for her work at the Times Record; she is now a reporter at the Maine Monitor.
HALL OF FAMERS
The Maine Press Association also added two former journalists from the Portland Press Herald to its Hall of Fame.
Dennis Hoey was a respected reporter for the paper for nearly 40 years, including working as a night reporter from 2008 until his death in 2024. He won a number of MPA awards for his reporting over the years.
John Ewing was a staff photographer for 33 years. During a career stretching from 1981 to 2014, he snapped numerous award-winning photos — many of them taken during high school basketball tournaments.
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