Herald Community Media received 11 awards at the New York Press Association’s 2025 Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were presented at the organization’s spring convention in Saratoga Springs on April 23-24.
Creative Designer Jeffrey Negrin took first place for Best Special Section Cover, Division I, for the Herald’s basketball section. Karen Millindorf was the photographer.
“The layout is clean and bold,” the judges said. “Good use of the isolated subjects placed center frame and the text is well balanced. Overall solid.”
Negrin also placed second in the same category for a Rockville Centre cover.
“The mostly monotone color scheme is well complimented to [the] line art doodle graphic,” the judges said. “The lightness of the graphic placed center frame is well balanced with the heaviness of the text at both the top and bottom of the layout.”
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by our peers,” Herald Community Media publisher Stuart Richner said. “We’re proud to continue telling the stories of our communities, and I congratulate our team on this well-deserved recognition. Ultimately, our greatest reward is delivering comprehensive local news to our readers each week.”
Vice President of Sales Rhonda Glickman, Special Sections Editor Karen Bloom and Negrin combined their talents and captured second place for Best Special Section in Advertising, Division I.
“An eye-catching and meaningful special section,” the judges said. “The editorial is local, informative and well written. The ads complement the section and align with the section’s intent.”
Negrin and Advertising Director Ellen Reynolds partnered to grab second and third place in the Best Multi-Advertiser Pages.
“This piece does a nice job of capturing the spirit of this campaign and community,” the judges said of the second-place submission, “combining the multiple advertisers into a harmonious layout. A subtle mix of patterns and color makes a strong impression. Well done.”
Of the third-place entry, the judges said, “A fun piece that visually captures the reader while being based on a strong concept that is a service to the community. The art and topography are appropriate for the theme and lend themselves to the overall mood of the piece. Nice job.”
“Good journalism doesn’t chase applause — it chases accountability,” COO Brad Harmon said. “That’s what makes me proud and reminds me why the work we do matters.”
On the editorial side, Copy Editor Jim Harmon and Production Designer Yolanda Rios received second-place recognition for editorial pages that appeared in all 24 weekly editions of the Heralds. “This was a close second,” the judges said. “The editorial writer is excellent.”
Staying on the editorial page, Managing Editor Jeffrey Bessen, Harmon and Zack Richner combined their efforts to take third place in Editorials, Division 1.
“Three editorials delve into some of the troubling dangers of our time — unaddressed impacts of long Covid; Meta abandoning moderators and the implications on civility and democracy; and the harshness of the housing crisis,” the judges said. “All are told with perspective and expertise.”
Multiple sports stories that appeared in the Massapequa Herald Post were part of the package that took second place in Sports Coverage, Division 1.
“Greatly enjoyed the range of stories covered in this issue, from the longtime Hofstra soccer coach to the Ryder Cup volunteers,” the judges said. “Well written and attractive layout, easy to read.”
It takes a great team to bring back awards from NYPA — we have the best!” Glickman said. “From finance to sales to editorial, production, press, circulation etc. Together we win!”
For Online Breaking News, Will Sheeline, editor of the Oyster Bay and Sea Cliff/Glen Head Heralds, and past reporter Luke Feeney placed second for their story “Pirate Booty founder Robert Ehrlich addresses attempt to seize control of Village of Sea Cliff.”
The judges said: “The reporters not only identified Robert Erhlich first as the person behind the attempted power grab, but also landed the first on-the-record, exclusive interview with him and posted it online before state, national and international outlets followed. Excellent use of community trust and source relationships to turn a chaotic, somewhat bizarre local power struggle into a clear, timely story.”
Sports Editor Tony Bellissimo and Negrin earned third place for Special Sections/Niche Publications for the Herald’s lacrosse book.
“Very well organized, and comprehensive,” the judges said. “Visually appealing and something for everyone who likes Lacrosse.”
Sheeline also took third place in the Environment Story category for his “Keeping the ‘oyster’ in Oyster Bay” story.
“I kept reminding myself that this is a reporter’s award and not an award for which environmental project was the coolest,” the judges said. “And this project was cool! I’ve decided not to hold it against the reporter, however, because the reporter has done an excellent job of making me feel invested in these people and this place and their oysters without getting mawkish or too purple in the prose.”
For the Better News Contest, 150 newspapers submitted 2,732 entries and competed in 67 categories, and a total of 389 awards were presented. The Michigan Press Association judged the contest submissions in January.
