2026 NFPW Contest Winners

Communicators from throughout the United States were honored Sept. 26 when the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) announced the winners of its 2026 Professional Communications Contest as the final event of the organization’s 2026 National Conference in Ellicott City, Maryland.

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Nearly 2,000 entries were submitted in this year’s contest including entries from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C.

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“The NFPW professional communications contest puts a spotlight on outstanding entries from throughout the United States,” says Helen S. Plotkin, NFPW professional contest director. “Our judges continue to comment about the high quality of entries they judge in the contest.”

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Overall, Delaware Press Association set a contest record by winning the Affiliate Sweepstakes Award for the 16th time since 200. The Delaware affiliate receives a $250 prize along with the honor.

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“DPA Contest Director Katherine Ward has built a strong relationship with entrants and judges over the years, consistently drawing a high number of excellent entries into the Delaware contest and making the state a perennial winner in the national sweepstakes competition,” Plotkin said. “Congratulations to Delaware on win #16!”

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Connecticut Press Club earned the second-highest number of points in this year’s Sweepstakes competition, with the Arkansas Press Women earning the third-highest number.

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In total, 32 members of the Connecticut Press Club members won a total of 42 awards, including 15 for first place.

 

The following Connecticut Press Club award recipients were honored during the 2026 NFPW Communications Contest Awards celebration.

 

High school contest

Opinion

Honorable mention: Nicholas Sutin, Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut, A Great Place to Learn, A Hard Place to Live: How Far Some Stamford Teachers Go Just to Show Up.

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Professional contest

Venera Alexandrova, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Photography > 22 - Photo Essay for “Legacy in Bloom”

• 3rd Place -- Photography > 21 - Single Photograph > 21A - News or feature photo for “Balancing Act”

 

Taciane Batista, Danielle Grillo, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Collegiate / Education > 59 - Prepared Report for Radio/Television Student Media > 59B - Television for “Early Voting Opens Amid Growing Concerns Over AI-Driven Misinformation”

 

Lisa Bernard, Connecticut

• 2nd Place -- Writing > 15 - Short Form Literature > 15D - Flash Fiction for “Andrea's Coda”

• 3rd Place -- Web and Social Media > 37 - Blog > 37C - Personal for “CamaREADerie: The Delight in Deep-Dive Book Discussions with Fellow Bookworms”

 

Sabrina Boccuzzi, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07J - Hobby for “A Parking Garage Becomes a Canvas for Caddo Storytelling”

 

Chandra Bozelko, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07E - Food for “From Institutional Trays to Healing Plates: One Care Home's Method of Culinary Comeback”

• 3rd Place -- Writing > 08 - Columns > 08A - General for “How Discipline Plays an Outsized role in California Parole Decisions”

• 2nd Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07O - Reviews for “The Year We Blamed the Mothers”

• 1st Place -- Graphics and Design > 24A - Graphics for “Jimmy Kimmel Pulled Off Air ‘Indefinitely’ After Refusing to Bend to MAGA”

 

Elizabeth Busbee, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 08 - Columns > 08C - Informational for “Keeping the Spark”

 

Clare Byrne, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07B - Arts and entertainment for “Two Conn College Student Choreographers Chosen Among 'Best of the Best'”

 

Gabi Coatsworth, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > Fiction for Adult Readers > 11A - Novels for “A Field Guide to Library Ghosts”

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 17 - Essay, Chapter, or Section in a Book for “Scent of History”

 

Nicholas Doscher, Jeremy Chen, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Radio and Television > Special Programming > 29B - Television for “WNPR Host Discusses Evolution of her Taiwanese Identity”

 

Nicholas Doscher, Connecticut

• 2nd Place -- Radio and Television > On-the-scene Report > 27B - Television for “Simsbury Bear Enters Home”

 

Conner Drigotas, Connecticut

• 2nd Place -- Publication Regularly Edited by Entrant > 19C - Newsletter/other publication - non-profit, government, or educational for “Inside Investigator: investigative journalism to root out corruption”

 

Mark Fiorentino, Connecticut

• 3rd Place -- Writing > 08 - Columns > 08B - Humorous for “Letter to Santa — 2025”

 

Marc Fitch, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 01 - News Story > 01C - Online publication for “He’s ranked 2nd in the nation for youth rock climbing; AI just canceled him”

 

Kathleen Kiley, Connecticut

• 3rd Place -- Web and Social Media > 36 - Podcast for “EP 15: Tim Pena, Veteran, Journalist, Advocate Part I”

 

Martin Kivell, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07I - History for “"The Miller Excitement:  A Town at War With Itself”

 

Gary Larkin, Connecticut

• 2nd Place -- Publication Regularly Edited by Entrant > 19B - Magazine/Magapaper for “Dec. 22, 2025 edition of Westfair Business Journal”

 

Ally LeMaster, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 02 - Continuing Coverage or Unfolding News for “Ten Former Litchfield Students Recount Sexual Abuse by Renowned Coach, Many More Cases Expected”

 

Jamie Marshall, Connecticut

• 3rd Place -- Writing > 05 - Feature Story > 05B - Magazine, newsletter/other publication for “Carrying Hope”

 

Laurie Newkirk, Vincent Legg, Tom Young, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > Nonfiction Book for Adult Readers > 12B - Biography or History for “For the Love of The Odd Couple: A Story of Laughs, Legacy and Lifelong Friendships”

 

Robin DuCharme Pastore, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Radio and Television > Interview > 30A - Radio for “Interview with author + domestic violence researcher and advocate Helen Winslow Black, an author, attorney, and advocate for victims of domestic violence.”

• 2nd Place -- Radio and Television > Talk Show > 31A - Radio for “Denise Sargis Brown: Traveling Solo Through the Middle East: Iran + Beyond”

• Honorable Mention -- Speeches > 57 - Speech for “My Father's House (General Israel Putnam Farm, Brooklyn, CT, c. 1750): A Happy Childhood in a House Where General Putnam's Ghost is Said To Linger”

 

Amy Polacko, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07L - Personal essay for “I Help Women Escape Controlling Men. Here's Why I Believe Cassie Couldn’t 'Just Leave' Diddy.”

 

Tom Quinn, Connecticut

• 3rd Place -- Publications Regularly Written by Entrant > 10C - Newsletter/other publication, corporate or for-profit for “Balancing Your Senses"

 

Thomas Renner, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07R - Sports for “Fighting Chance”

• 2nd Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07S - Style for “Former Domino Sugar Industrial Plant Turns Mixed-Use Commercial Complex”

 

Katherine Revello, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07G - Government or politics for “Secession: Could Connecticut become a new Canadian province?”

 

Katherine Revello, Brandon Whiting, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07D - Education for “Partial Record: Sexual Misconduct and Transparency at CSCU”

 

Nick Sambides, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 03 - In-depth Reporting for “Consultant Warns Hamden Finances Could 'Implode' Without Major Overhaul”

 

Diane Sembrot, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Public Relations Materials > 52 - Brochure > 52A - Nonprofit, government or educational for “Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich Hospital”

 

Alex Simard, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07N - Religion for “Stranger Among You: Faith leadership amid changing immigration policy”

• 2nd Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07A - Agriculture for “Ideal Fish: The rise and fall of an experimental fish farm in Waterbury”

 

Mitzy Sky, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Web and Social Media > 41 - Video for Web > 41D- Special interest video for “Just Doing the Little Things Episode 7: Moving - One of Life’s Biggest Stressors”

 

Gregory Stroud, Connecticut

• Honorable Mention -- Writing > 04 - Editorial/Op-Ed for “The Problem of Other People's Money in Old Lyme”

 

Daniel Tepfer, Connecticut

• 3rd Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07K - Obituary for “Bridgeport Gangster, Stolen Car Kingpin Dead at 72”

 

Aline Weiller, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Information for the Media > 54 - News or Feature Release – Single Release for “Book Launch for Ira Joe Fisher's New Poetry Collection at Ridgefield Library March 26”

 

Brandon Whiting, Connecticut

• 1st Place -- Writing > 07 - Specialty Articles > 07Q - Social issues for “Disorder in the courts: two families struggle for justice”

NFPW is a nationwide organization of women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum, including print and electronic journalism, freelancing, new media, books, public relations, marketing, graphic design, photography, advertising, radio and television.

The entries in a wide variety of categories were judged by a distinguished group of professional journalists, communications specialists and educators. Only first-place winning entries at the state level are eligible to enter the national contest. All entries were published or broadcast between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2025.