Florida Weekly is named the Best Weekly Newspaper 2026 by the Florida Press Association. -COURTESY PHOTO
Florida Weekly continues a tradition of winning, named the Best Weekly Newspaper 2026 by the Florida Press Association, for its commitment to local journalism and community coverage. This marks Florida Weekly’s 11th straight win in this category.
“I am so proud of our team. This is a great honor, and it reflects the hard work, talent, passion, and dedication of so many people across our organization,” says Melissa Vogt, Florida Weekly Group Publisher. “Our team works tirelessly to inform, connect, and celebrate the communities we serve.”
Florida Weekly took home eight first-place awards, and 28 total trophies.
Florida Weekly took home eight first-place awards and 28 total trophies. -COURTESY PHOTO
Veteran journalist and columnist Roger Williams had his hands full, taking home five awards, including first place for his Hurricane Coverage feature article, “Rebuilding Beaches.” He was also honored for “Saving Sesame Street,” “Traffic in Paradise,” and “A Squeezed Industry.” Perhaps most gratifying is Roger’s third-place finish in the Serious Column-Division A, for his moving column “The Dementia Fight- Singing into a Storm.”
Fort Myers editor and multi-media journalist Johnathan Minehan was a shining star of the award, taking home not one, but two first-place trophies, winning the Multimedia Storytelling category with “Turkey legs, jousts and meeting the queen,” and the Arts, Entertainment & Review Reporting category for “A Fight For The Arts.” Johnathan took second place in the Education Feature category for “Puppets in Prison?”
Florida Weekly Graphic Designers Scott Sleeper and Lindi Daywalt received a slew of awards, including four first-place honors for Overall Graphic Design, Front Page Makeup, Page Design and Informational Graphic.
Naples Publisher Shelley Hobbs, Florida Weekly Group Publisher Melissa Vogt and Senior Editor Kelly Henry. -COURTESY PHOTO
Florida Weekly photojournalist David Wishtischin was honored three times, with awards for Sports Photo: “Big-time hoops electrify Southwest Florida Photo,” Photo Series in One Issue: “Sea Turtle Surge Photo Series,” and Feature Photo: “Veterans Day Valor & Legacy.”
“While all of us are honored by the recognition, our greatest reward continues to be earning the trust of our readers and being part of the communities we call home,” adds Vogt.
Founded in 2007, Florida Weekly, now part of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, publishes editions in Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, Palm Beach County, Charlotte County and Key West. Other publications include Town Chronicle, the Babcock Ranch Telegraph and the Ave Maria Sun.
The Florida Press Association’s Weekly Newspaper Contest is open to monthly, semi-monthly, weekly, semi-weekly and tri-weekly newspaper members. Awards are given out in three divisions: small, medium and large-sized publications. Florida Weekly competes in the largest newspaper group against other state media outlets with at least 15,000 readers.
The Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest awards ceremony followed the two-day annual Florida Media Conference, this year held at Disney Springs in Orlando. For more, visit flpress.com.
2026 FPA results:
Multimedia Storytelling, Division AB — First Place: Turkey legs, jousts and meeting the queen — Johnathan Minehan
Website Excellence, Division A — Third Place: Website Excellence Florida Weekly — Staff
Overall Graphic Design, Division A — First Place: Overall Graphic Design Entry 1, Florida Weekly — Staff
Overall Graphic Design, Division A — Third Place: Overall Graphic Design Entry 2, Florida Weekly — Staff
Front Page Makeup, Division A — First Place: Front Page Makeup— Lindi Daywalt & Alisa Bowman
Front Page Makeup, Division A — Second Place: Front Page Makeup— Lindi Daywalt
Page Design, Division A — First Place: Arts Preview — Lindi Daywalt
Informational Graphic, Division A — First Place: Map It Out — Scott Sleeper
Best Headline, Division A — Second Place: A Squeezed Industry — Roger Williams
Sports Photo, Division A — Second Place: Big-time hoops electrify Southwest Florida Photo — David Wishtischin
Photo Series in One Issue, Division A — Second Place: Sea Turtle Surge Photo Series — David Wishtischin
Feature Photo, Division A — Third Place: Veterans Day Valor & Legacy — David Wishtischin
Best Obituary, Division A — Second Place: Mike Greenwell: Clean, fierce & unforgettable — Glenn Miller
Outdoor & Recreation, Division A — Third Place: Wade Into the Wild — Casey Shepherd
Agricultural & Environmental Reporting, Division A — Second Place: Sting Operation — Carlie Admire
Business Reporting, Division A — Second Place: Bash Your Blues Away — Garry Overbey
Business Reporting, Division A — Third Place: Cracking Open Stone Crab Season — Carlie Admire
Roads & Transportation, Division A — Second Place: Traffic in Paradise — Roger Williams
Arts, Entertainment & Review Reporting, Division A — First Place: A Fight For The Arts — Johnathan Minehan
Education Feature, Division A — Second Place: Puppets in prison? — Johnathan Minehan
Education News, Division A — First Place: Teaching With Tech — Tyler Gibson
Feature Story: Profile, Division A — Third Place (TIE): A Walk In Her Shoes — Valerie Staggs
Feature Story: Profile, Division A — Third Place (TIE): The Life Of Riley — Garry Overbey
General News Story, Division A — Third Place: Saving Sesame Street — Roger Williams
Serious Column, Division A — Third Place (TIE): The dementia fight: Singing into a storm — Roger Williams
Original Local Editorial Cartoon, Division AB — Third Place: The Joy of Gardening — Edward Dziura
Hurricane Feature Story, Division A — Second Place: Hurricane Special Issue — Mary Wozniak, Roger Williams, Carlie Admire
Hurricane Coverage – General News Story, Division A — First Place: Rebuilding Beaches — Roger Williams
The Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest awards ceremony followed the two-day annual Florida Media Conference. -COURTESY PHOTO
Florida Weekly competes in the largest newspaper group against other state media outlets with at least 15,000 readers. -COURTESY PHOTO