
By Michele Pawlenty, Publisher:
The results of one of the nation’s largest news and advertising contests are in. Expert judges from Illinois reviewed almost 4,000 entries of MNA members’ most outstanding work from the 2024 contest year (contest runs from Sept. 2023-Aug. 2024) to determine the best of the best.
Winners were honored Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Better Newspaper Contest Awards Gala during the 158th Annual MNA Convention & Trade Show.
The Messenger took home two first place awards both in Photography. They won Photography Feature Photo which was entitled “Singing Loud”. Brenda Erdahl caught the great moment at Maple Lake’s Elementary School’s annual music concert held in December. It was standing room only where kindergarten through third grade students performed holiday tunes. The audience tried to subdue their laughter at the second grader’s enthusiastic expression during the refrain to Feliz Navidad. The judges’ comments were “the moment that makes all moments… wonderful!”
The other first place photography honor was for Portrait and Personality. Once again, this photo was the boy singing at the Maple Lake Elementary annual concert taken by Erdahl. “The children’s faces show a variety of emotions! The pure joy of the boy highlighted in the center best portrays the headline Singing loud for all to hear. Very well done”, as one judge commented.
To read the entire front page story about these MNA awards, subscribe to the Messenger today!