Missourian wins 45 awards at 2025 Missouri Press Association contest
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Sept. 19, 2025) — The Columbia Missourian won 45 awards in the 2025 Missouri Press Association Better Newspaper Contest, announced Saturday during the annual Missouri Press Association convention in Wildwood.
The Missourian placed first in 17 categories, second in 10 categories and third in 18 categories.
Here is the list of awards the Missourian won for stories, photos, graphics and other content published in 2024.
First place
General Excellence: The Missourian staff placed first for general excellence.
Best Front Page: The Missourian staff took first place for the best front page.
Best Sports Pages: The Missourian staff earned first place for the best sports pages.
Best Feature Story: Anna Colletto won first place for her story about Roy Lovelady, a Columbia City Council member, businessman and drag queen.
Best Sports News Story or Package: Reade Snelling took first place for his sports package about the 19th annual MR340 boat race.
Best Serious Columnist: David Webber won first place for best serious columnist.
Best News Photograph: Sarah Voyles placed first for a photograph taken at the Tobben Funeral, a final farewell with full honors for fallen firefighter Matthew Tobben.
Best Feature Photograph: Kyle Maki won first place for his photograph of Surendra Yerrapu extinguishing flames in a neighboring field after fireworks landed on the property during the Hindu holiday of Dussehra.
Community Service: The Missourian staff took first place for CoMo Street Gazette, a community-led publication that provides an outlet where those experiencing or at risk of homelessness can tell their stories.
Best Story About Government: Dmitry Martirosov earned first place for a story that summarized the first half of the 2024 legislative session.
Best Story About Rural Life or Agriculture: Jana Rose Schleis won first place for her story about perennial crops breathing new life into depleted soil.
Best Story About Marginalized or Underrepresented Communities: Olivia Gyapong took first place for her story about a 1955 Moberly court case and the lack of teacher diversity today.
Best Information Graphic: Emmet Jamieson placed first for his graphic showing the Shops at Sharp End and Columbia’s historic Black business district.
Best Editorial Cartoon: John Darkow won first place for an editorial cartoon, “Sleepwalking to Autocracy.”
Best Online Newspaper or Website: The Missourian staff earned first place for its website.
Best Headline Writing: Missourian staff won first place for the best headlines.
Best Reporting Using the Sunshine Law: Camryn Kesselring and Erica Little placed first for their story about the delayed police co-responder program. Columbia did not have mental health professionals responding to emergency calls despite allocating money for it.
Second place
Best Overall Design: Missourian staff took second place for overall design.
Best Page Design: Missourian staff earned second place for page design.
Best Breaking News Story: Yasmeen Saadi placed second place for her story about Brian Yearwood leaving his position as superintendent of Columbia Public Schools.
Best Feature Photograph: Catie Cobble earned second place for her photo of Mizzou medical students on Match Day, an event that reveals where students will serve as resident physicians.
Best Photo Package: Jamie Maron and Bailey Stover placed second for their series of photographs showcasing the MSHSSA 2024 Wrestling Championship.
Best Story About History: Josh Stotler won second place for his story about Missouri’s oldest restaurant, the J. Huston Tavern in Arrow Rock.
Best Military Story: Maya Dawson took second place for her story about Missouri veterans who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam finding closure on an honor flight to Washington, D.C.
Best Information Graphic: Brandon Curry earned second place.
Best Editorial Cartoon: John Darkow placed second for his editorial cartoon, “No country for old men.”
Multi-Media Reporting: Missourian staff won second place for the multi-media reporting called River Town, a collaborative project with stories about people living in river-adjacent communities.
Third place
Best Page Design: Missourian staff earned third place for page design.
Best News Story: Annie Goldman and Anna Spidel took third place for a story about Rainbow House, the now-closed children’s emergency shelter.
Best Feature Story: Briana Iordan won third place for a story about the Rev. Faye Vaughn, a Black woman who was forbidden to leave the church basement as a child because of her race and now leads the church as pastor.
Best Sports Feature Story: Andy Theobald earned third place for his story about the new Mizzou athletic director, Laird Veatch.
Best News Photograph: Cara Penquite took third place for her photograph of an altercation between the Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and protesters.
Best Feature Photograph: Austin Johnson took third place for his photograph of tire marks in the snow atop a parking garage.
Best Sports Photograph: Vanina Dimitrova earned third place for her photograph of Mizzou gymnast Mara Tiratsolej reaching for the bar.
Best Sports Feature Photograph: Jamie Maron placed third for his photograph of Donnie Horner, coach at Grain Valley High School consoling junior Adalia Del Real after a loss at the MSHSAA State Wrestling Championship.
Best Special Section, Magazine or Alternative: Missourian staff took third place for a special section about Missouri Tourism.
Best News or Feature Obituary: Olivia Mizelle placed third for her story about Byron Smith’s life and impact in the Columbia art community.
Best Story About Government: Camryn Kesselring and Erica Little earned third place for their story about the delayed police co-responder program.
Best Election Story: Dmitry Martirosov took third place for his story about progressive policies being able to prevail in conservative Missouri.
Best Story About Rural Life or Agriculture: Jana Rose Schleis placed third for her story about farmers and regenerative agriculture.
Best Story About Religion: Briana Iordan earned third place for her story about the Rev. Faye Vaughn, who was once barred from the sanctuary because of her race but now leads the church.
Best Story About the Outdoors: Jonah Foster won third place for his story about students at Hickman High School and the Columbia Area Career Center helping with a wood thrush migration study.
Best Health Story: Lilley Halloran took third place for her story about Missouri’s effort to tackle maternity care deserts.
Best Editorial Cartoon: John Darkow placed third for his editorial cartoon, “Happy to be stranded.”
Multi-Media Reporting: Missourian video staff and Benjamin Zweig earned third place for their multi-media reporting about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, called unelected heroes.
Updated: September 19, 2025