Members of The Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) convened at the Madison Concourse Hotel in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, March 6 for the annual Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet. Attendees included journalists, editors, photographers, and artists from newspapers across the state competing in five divisions based on circulation.
Three representatives of Evans Print and Media Group, publisher of The Monroe County Herald, The Cashton Record, and The Hillsboro Sentry Enterprise, took turns collecting awards. The awards included categories for articles, photos, advertising design, page design, and special sections published between Sept. 1, 2024, and Aug. 31, 2025. As the event concluded, Evans Print and Media Group won eleven first-place awards, eleven second-place awards, eight third-place awards, and seven honorable mentions out of 2,493 entries from 103 newspapers.
Greg Evans, publisher of the Evans Print and Media Group, expressed his pride after the event.
“I am very excited to have placed in the general excellence category; it is our first time, and I believe we are on track to place higher next year,” Evans said. “Nate Beier and Logan Everson continue to knock it out of the park each year, never failing to collect several awards, and I was happy to see Eric Roellig win first place for the Bill Payne Excellence in Advertising Award.”
“It is great that peers in the WNA recognize our staff for their hard work and dedica
tion to creating award-win
ning local news products. I congratulate and thank all of our winners,” Evans said.
The Cashton Record stayed on par with last year and brought six first place awards back from Madison this past Friday.
"While we didn't increase in the amount of awards from last time, I'm still proud of what we accomplished," said Logan Everson, editor for the Cashton Record.
Everson says that the most important honor for the Record was receiving first for 'Best Front Page'.
"The front page is the most important part of a newspaper," said Everson. "It's what can make someone pick up the paper off the newsstand. It's purpose is to inform readers of the most important news and to let them know what else they can find inside. I'm very happy to have won that award."
Other award winners include Jennifer Rodriguez Moran, Eric Auer Lee, Zach Rastall, Greg Evans, Kyle Evans, Cheryl Guinn-Endres, and Erica Dynes Jackson.
Despite uncertainties about the future of journalism and rumors of the decline of print, small local newspapers continue to tell their communities’ stories and share important information. By highlighting local voices and issues, these papers foster engagement and unity among residents. The WNA convention provides newspapers with an opportunity to network, learn from informational sessions, and rekindle a passion for telling their community’s story. In an ever-changing media landscape, the importance of newspapers and local journalism is greater than ever.
“Our community is the reason we are here. Our subscribers and readers allow us to pursue our passions,” Evans said. “We work every day to create the best product possible — something we take pride in and that our readers find valuable. We thank our readers for allowing us to make these newspapers.”
Monroe County Herald, Sparta — Division D
1st Place — Bill Payne Excellence in Advertising Award — Eric Roellig
1st Place — Sports Action Photo — Nate Beier
1st Place — Ongoing/Extended Coverage — Nate Beier
1st Place — Photo Essay — Nate Beier
2nd Place — Best Niche Product — Eric Roellig
2nd Place — Best Newspaper Promotion — Eric Roellig
2nd Place — Best Small Ad — Eric Roellig
2nd Place — Best Large Ad — Eric Roellig
2nd Place — Sports Action Photo — Nate Beier
2nd Place — Business Coverage — Jennifer Rodriguez Moran
2nd Place — Sports Feature Story — Eric Auer Lee
3rd Place — Best Special Section (Advertising) — Eric Roellig
3rd Place — Best Multiple Advertiser Layout — Eric Roellig, Cheryl Guinn-Endres
3rd Place — Investigative Reporting — Eric Roellig
3rd Place — Best Sports Section — Nate Beier, Eric Auer Lee, Logan Everson, Zach Rastall
3rd Place — General Excellence — Greg Evans, Kyle Evans, Eric Roellig, Erica Dynes Jackson
Honorable Mention — Visual Storytelling — Nate Beier
Honorable Mention — Overall Page Design — Nate Beier
Honorable Mention — Sports Feature Photo — Nate Beier
Honorable Mention — Arts & Culture Coverage — Eric Roellig
Honorable Mention — Community Engagement Award — Eric Roellig
Cashton Record — Division E
1st Place — Best Multiple Advertiser Layout — Logan Everson
1st Place — Best Small Ad — Logan Everson
1st Place — Overall Page Design — Nate Beier
1st Place — Sports Feature Photo — Nate Beier
1st Place — Sports Action Photo — Logan Everson
1st Place — Best Front Page — Logan Everson
2nd Place — Spot News Photo — Logan Everson
2nd Place — Sports News Story — Eric Aurer Lee
3rd Place — Sports Action Photo — Nate Beier
Honorable Mention — Sports Feature Photo — Nate Beier
Hillsboro Sentry-Enterprise — Division E
1st Place — Visual Storytelling — Nate Beier
2nd Place — Sports Feature Story — Eric Auer Lee
2nd Place — Best Sports Section — Nate Beier, Eric Auer Lee, Logan Everson, Zach Rastall
3rd Place — Local Sports Column — Nate Beier
3rd Place — Best Headlines — Nate Beier
Honorable Mention — Best Multiple Advertiser Layout — Nate Beier, Logan Everson
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