SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, October 18, 2025 –The Bangor Daily News, Midcoast Villager, the Houlton Pioneer Times, and the Sun Journal Sunday edition have been honored by the Maine Press Association (MPA) for General Excellence in print newspapers.
The Maine Monitor, Harpswell Anchor, and Island Ad-Vantages took top honors for digital General Excellence in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest.
The awards were presented Saturday night at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in South Portland, concluding a day of programming and networking for reporters, photographers, journalists, advertising staff, and designers throughout the state.
George Danby, longtime editorial cartoonist for the Bangor Daily News; the late Dennis Hoey, a respected night reporter for the Portland Press Herald; and John Ewing, a celebrated photojournalist and mentor with the Portland Press Herald for 33 years, were selected by the MPA’s Hall of Fame Committee as the 2025 inductees.
In the General Excellence competition for print newspapers, the Bangor Daily News was judged the best daily in Maine for the second consecutive year while the Sun Journal Sunday edition was chosen as the weekend Newspaper of the Year, also for the second consecutive year.
The contest judges, who hailed from the New Jersey Press Association and other press associations from across the country, wrote of the Bangor Daily News: “Each issue of this newspaper had so much to read and offer … This is a textbook example on what a newspaper of the daily variety should be.”
“Sun Journal would be my pick for the winner because of its spacious, balanced, and easy-to-interpret design, and overall cohesiveness,” said the judges about the Sun Journal Sunday edition.
In the Weekly 1 division, for newspapers with less than 2,000 print circulation, the Houlton Pioneer Times, now known as The County, took top prize. “The Houlton Pioneer Times offers in-depth, well-sourced reporting and long-form enterprise pieces that explore the real impact of local news,” said judges.
The Weekly 2 winner was Midcoast Villager, launched in September 2024 as a new publication formed by the merger of The Republican Journal, The Courier-Gazette, The Free Press, and The Camden Herald.
“This paper sets the standard in its first months of existence,” said judges. “The look is clean and iconic, paying tribute to great newspapering traditions.”
Ben Meiklejohn, of the Lincoln News, won the Freedom of Information first-place award in the Weekly division, while Rose Lundy and Alexa Foust, of The Maine Monitor, took top honors in the Daily/Weekend division.
Rose Lundy, of The Maine Monitor, was named the Journalist of the Year and Fred Berry, of The Ellsworth American, was named the Advertising Person of the Year.
Kristian Moravec, formerly of The Times Record and now at The Maine Monitor, won the Bob Drake Young Writer’s Award while Brian Robitaille, of The Maine Trust for Local News, and Paula Brewer, of the Bangor Daily News, were both recognized with the Unsung Hero of the Year Award. Kate Cough of The Maine Monitor won the inaugural Mentor of the Year Award.
Thanks to the 2025 MPA Conference Sponsors: Broadreach Public Relations, Mitchell Tardy Jackson, JB Brown & Sons, Preti Flaherty, NL Partners, SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, October 18, 2025 –The Bangor Daily News, Midcoast Villager, the Houlton Pioneer Times, and the Sun Journal Sunday edition have been honored by the Maine Press Association (MPA) for General Excellence in print newspapers.
The Maine Monitor, Harpswell Anchor, and Island Ad-Vantages took top honors for digital General Excellence in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest.
The awards were presented Saturday night at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in South Portland, concluding a day of programming and networking for reporters, photographers, journalists, advertising staff, and designers throughout the state.
George Danby, longtime editorial cartoonist for the Bangor Daily News; the late Dennis Hoey, a respected night reporter for the Portland Press Herald; and John Ewing, a celebrated photojournalist and mentor with the Portland Press Herald for 33 years, were selected by the MPA’s Hall of Fame Committee as the 2025 inductees.
In the General Excellence competition for print newspapers, the Bangor Daily News was judged the best daily in Maine for the second consecutive year while the Sun Journal Sunday edition was chosen as the weekend Newspaper of the Year, also for the second consecutive year.
The contest judges, who hailed from the New Jersey Press Association and other press associations from across the country, wrote of the Bangor Daily News: “Each issue of this newspaper had so much to read and offer … This is a textbook example on what a newspaper of the daily variety should be.”
“Sun Journal would be my pick for the winner because of its spacious, balanced, and easy-to-interpret design, and overall cohesiveness,” said the judges about the Sun Journal Sunday edition.
In the Weekly 1 division, for newspapers with less than 2,000 print circulation, the Houlton Pioneer Times, now known as The County, took top prize. “The Houlton Pioneer Times offers in-depth, well-sourced reporting and long-form enterprise pieces that explore the real impact of local news,” said judges.
The Weekly 2 winner was Midcoast Villager, launched in September 2024 as a new publication formed by the merger of The Republican Journal, The Courier-Gazette, The Free Press, and The Camden Herald.
“This paper sets the standard in its first months of existence,” said judges. “The look is clean and iconic, paying tribute to great newspapering traditions.”
Ben Meiklejohn, of the Lincoln News, won the Freedom of Information first-place award in the Weekly division, while Rose Lundy and Alexa Foust, of The Maine Monitor, took top honors in the Daily/Weekend division.
Rose Lundy, of The Maine Monitor, was named the Journalist of the Year and Fred Berry, of The Ellsworth American, was named the Advertising Person of the Year.
Kristian Moravec, formerly of The Times Record and now at The Maine Monitor, won the Bob Drake Young Writer’s Award while Brian Robitaille, of The Maine Trust for Local News, and Paula Brewer, of the Bangor Daily News, were both recognized with the Unsung Hero of the Year Award. Kate Cough of The Maine Monitor won the inaugural Mentor of the Year Award.
Thanks to the 2025 MPA Conference Sponsors: Broadreach Public Relations, Mitchell Tardy Jackson, JB Brown & Sons, Preti Flaherty, NL Partners, and Maine Community Foundation/Press Forward Maine.
A complete list of 2025 award winners will be posted next week on the MPA’s website.
The Maine Press Association (MPA), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest professional news organizations in the nation. Learn more at www.mainepressassociation.org.