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Florida Weekly is named the Best Weekly Newspaper 2026 by the Florida Press Association. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 11th straight win in this category.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d says Melissa Vogt, Florida Weekly Group Publisher. \u201cOur team works tirelessly to inform, connect, and celebrate the communities we serve.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Florida Weekly took home eight first-place awards, and 28 total trophies.\n<\/p>\n
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Florida Weekly took home eight first-place awards and 28 total trophies. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
Veteran journalist and columnist Roger Williams had his hands full, taking home five awards, including first place for his Hurricane Coverage feature article, \u201cRebuilding Beaches.\u201d He was also honored for \u201cSaving Sesame Street,\u201d \u201cTraffic in Paradise,\u201d and \u201cA Squeezed Industry.\u201d Perhaps most gratifying is Roger\u2019s third-place finish in the Serious Column-Division A, for his moving column \u201cThe Dementia Fight- Singing into a Storm.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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 \u201cTurkey legs, jousts and meeting the queen,\u201d and the Arts, Entertainment & Review Reporting category for \u201cA Fight For The Arts.\u201d Johnathan took second place in the Education Feature category for \u201cPuppets in Prison?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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.\n<\/p>\n
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Naples Publisher Shelley Hobbs, Florida Weekly Group Publisher Melissa Vogt and Senior Editor Kelly Henry. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
Florida Weekly photojournalist David Wishtischin was honored three times, with awards for Sports Photo: \u201cBig-time hoops electrify Southwest Florida Photo,\u201d Photo Series in One Issue: \u201cSea Turtle Surge Photo Series,\u201d and Feature Photo: \u201cVeterans Day Valor & Legacy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile 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,\u201d adds Vogt.\n<\/p>\n
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.\n<\/p>\n
The Florida Press Association\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n
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<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n 2026 FPA results:<\/p>\n Multimedia Storytelling, Division AB \u2014 First Place: Turkey legs, jousts and meeting the queen \u2014 Johnathan Minehan\n<\/p>\n Website Excellence, Division A \u2014 Third Place: Website Excellence Florida Weekly \u2014 Staff\n<\/p>\n Overall Graphic Design, Division A \u2014 First Place: Overall Graphic Design Entry 1, Florida Weekly \u2014 Staff\n<\/p>\n Overall Graphic Design, Division A \u2014 Third Place: Overall Graphic Design Entry 2, Florida Weekly \u2014 Staff\n<\/p>\n Front Page Makeup, Division A \u2014 First Place: Front Page Makeup\u2014 Lindi Daywalt & Alisa Bowman\n<\/p>\n Front Page Makeup, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Front Page Makeup\u2014 Lindi Daywalt\n<\/p>\n Page Design, Division A \u2014 First Place: Arts Preview \u2014 Lindi Daywalt\n<\/p>\n Informational Graphic, Division A \u2014 First Place: Map It Out \u2014 Scott Sleeper\n<\/p>\n Best Headline, Division A \u2014 Second Place: A Squeezed Industry \u2014 Roger Williams\n<\/p>\n Sports Photo, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Big-time hoops electrify Southwest Florida Photo \u2014 David Wishtischin\n<\/p>\n Photo Series in One Issue, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Sea Turtle Surge Photo Series \u2014 David Wishtischin\n<\/p>\n Feature Photo, Division A \u2014 Third Place: Veterans Day Valor & Legacy \u2014 David Wishtischin\n<\/p>\n Best Obituary, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Mike Greenwell: Clean, fierce & unforgettable \u2014 Glenn Miller\n<\/p>\n Outdoor & Recreation, Division A \u2014 Third Place: Wade Into the Wild \u2014 Casey Shepherd\n<\/p>\n Agricultural & Environmental Reporting, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Sting Operation \u2014 Carlie Admire\n<\/p>\n Business Reporting, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Bash Your Blues Away \u2014 Garry Overbey\n<\/p>\n Business Reporting, Division A \u2014 Third Place: Cracking Open Stone Crab Season \u2014 Carlie Admire\n<\/p>\n Roads & Transportation, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Traffic in Paradise \u2014 Roger Williams\n<\/p>\n Arts, Entertainment & Review Reporting, Division A \u2014 First Place: A Fight For The Arts \u2014 Johnathan Minehan\n<\/p>\n Education Feature, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Puppets in prison? \u2014 Johnathan Minehan\n<\/p>\n Education News, Division A \u2014 First Place: Teaching With Tech \u2014 Tyler Gibson\n<\/p>\n Feature Story: Profile, Division A \u2014 Third Place (TIE): A Walk In Her Shoes \u2014 Valerie Staggs\n<\/p>\n Feature Story: Profile, Division A \u2014 Third Place (TIE): The Life Of Riley \u2014 Garry Overbey\n<\/p>\n General News Story, Division A \u2014 Third Place: Saving Sesame Street \u2014 Roger Williams\n<\/p>\n Serious Column, Division A \u2014 Third Place (TIE): The dementia fight: Singing into a storm \u2014 Roger Williams\n<\/p>\n Original Local Editorial Cartoon, Division AB \u2014 Third Place: The Joy of Gardening \u2014 Edward Dziura\n<\/p>\n Hurricane Feature Story, Division A \u2014 Second Place: Hurricane Special Issue \u2014 Mary Wozniak, Roger Williams, Carlie Admire\n<\/p>\n Hurricane Coverage \u2013 General News Story, Division A \u2014 First Place: Rebuilding Beaches \u2014 Roger Williams<\/p>\n
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