The Nebraska Press Association (NPA) celebrated the best in Nebraska journalism during its April 25-26 annual convention in Kearney. The event brought together newspaper professionals from across the state to recognize outstanding work, lifelong achievement, and the future of the industry through a series of prestigious awards and scholarships.

The convention included a variety of informative and interactive workshops throughout the two days, designed to spark creative ideas in newspaper design and innovative ways to keep the industry vital and moving forward. From issues with ever-increasing postal rates, to analyzing data on digital versus print markets, to keeping up with modern technology like AI, the newspaper - like most industries - is always evolving.

“It seems there is always something new coming down the pike, and the NPA convention is an opportunity each year to gather with our peers to discuss ways of handling the challenges, and celebrate the victories,” said Callaway Courier Managing Editor Ellen Mortensen. “This was my 20th year attending these conventions, and I have learned something every year…and always come home inspired to do a better job for our readers.”

The highlight of the NPA convention is the Better Newspaper Contest Awards, the grand finale of the weekend. There were 1,983 separate entries judged by members of the North Carolina Press Association.

Categories for both weeklies and dailies are focused on writing, photography, advertising, digital, design and creativity.

First, second and third place winners were announced Saturday night at an Awards Banquet at the Crowne Plaza in Kearney. The Courier is honored to have received a total of seven awards - one first place, two second places, and four third places.

Prior to the Saturday evening awards banquet, however, was the bestowing of the prestigious Omaha World Herald service awards during the Saturday luncheon. The Gothenburg Leader - sister paper of the Courier - was named the recipient of the 2025 Service to Community award.

“I have to be honest; it is always nice to receive that pat on the back for a job well done by our peers and to win those awards. But being recognized for being the best at supporting and serving our community is by far the most rewarding honor,” said Mortensen.

“This is the reason we exist.”

The Courier was recognized with the following awards in the 2025 Better Newspaper Competition among the newspapers of Nebraska. All entries were published between Jan. 1 and Dec.

31, 2024.

1st Place - News Writing: The award was given for the story on Callaway resident Jackie Young, who has not missed voting in an election since she was first able to in 1948. In awarding the 1st place honor, the judge commented, “I love the way you took what could have been a very traditional, cut and dried election story and brought it down to a very personal level. Nicely done.”

2nd Place - Special Single Section, “Salute to Beef”.

The judge commented, “Really nice edition that has amazing content and great ad support. Really liked the layout and nice color...awesome job Callaway Courier.”

2nd Place - Reader Interaction or Contest: The Courier received this award for the weekly football contest that features business sponsors and encourages readers to make their predictions for a chance to win cash. The contest has been a huge success.

3rd Place - Small Ad, Black & White: Our ad designer Bailey Schwarz received this award for her Valentine’s Day ad for Shotgun Annie’s. The judge commented, “Extremely creative presentation, catchy, and immediately eye-catching. Good use of different shades and phrasing.”

3rd Place - Single Ad, Black & White: Schwarz earned this award for her ad promoting the Saint Patrick’s Day party at Grazer’s Bar & Grill. The judge commented, “Attention-grabbing, symbolic of the holiday and specials, all information needed is available. Good blend between photo and graphic elements. Only thing missing is a good call to action.”

3rd Place - Personal Column: The Village Naturalist, Mark Peyton, contributes a column to our paper each week. The retired wildlife biologist from Gothenburg uses the space to educate and entertain the reader.

The judge in this category referred to Peyton’s column as, “News you can use!”

The election feature article on Jackie Young that appeared in the Nov. 14, 2024, Courier received a 1st place award in news writing at the Nebraska Press Association Better Newspaper Contest last weekend.

3rd Place Breaking News: The article titled “Out of Control” chronicled the damage left behind by a prescribed burn that got away, and the efforts of volunteers from across the region to bring it under control.

The Courier is owned by Gothenburg residents and businessmen Colten Venteicher and John Bell. They formed Syndicate Publishing in 2019, and the company now consists of four community weekly newspapers: the Gothenburg Leader, Callaway Courier, Cozad LOCAL, and Minden Courier.

“We are extremely proud of the group of professionals that continue to showcase our emphasis on creating high-quality, locally focused journalism,” said Venteicher. “These awards are a great opportunity for our community to understand just how much that quality is recognized when compared to our peers across the state.”