BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Press Association announced the winners of its 2025 Better Newspaper Competition during an awards ceremony May 8 at the Baton Rouge City Club, recognizing top newspapers, journalists and advertising professionals from across the state.
The association awarded Newspaper of the Year honors in five divisions based on total points earned across editorial and advertising categories.
The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate won Division 1 honors, while The Ruston Daily Leader won Division 2, Jena Times won Division 3, Pointe Coupee Banner won Division 4 and Central City News won Division 5.
The annual competition included 830 entries from 28 Louisiana Press Association member publications, as well as college and university student newspapers. Entries were judged by the Oklahoma Press Association.
Editorial categories included reporting, writing and graphic design, while advertising awards recognized design, creativity and effectiveness.
“The 2025 contest had some very close races for ‘Newspaper of the Year’ and that’s exciting,” LPA Executive Director McHugh David said in a statement. “Our members across the state take their work seriously, and it shows when we run our contest.”
The association also recognized members inducted into its “50-Year Club,” honoring long careers in Louisiana journalism and publishing. Honorees included Kathy Trahan, Connie Grimball Thomas, Janet Doucet, Ken Benitez, Vic Couvillion, Richard Meek, Kevin Fambrough, Randy DeCuir and Susan DeCuir.
During the event, the association remembered two members of Louisiana’s press community who died in 2025: Carissa Hebert and Richard “Dickie” Broussard.
The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate also received the Freedom of Information Competition award for its reporting on Louisiana’s return to executions using nitrogen hypoxia, a method recently legalized by the state.
According to the newspaper’s submission, reporters sought access to the state’s execution protocol after officials declined to release the records publicly. Following legal intervention by the newspaper’s attorney, a federal judge ordered a redacted version of the protocol to be released.
The newspaper said the records helped reporters prepare coverage of the execution of death row inmate Jessie Hoffman, who was convicted in the 1996 rape and murder of Mary “Molly” Elliott in St. Tammany Parish.
Founded in 1880, the Louisiana Press Association serves as a trade organization representing the state’s daily and weekly newspapers and digital news organizations.