The 2025 – 2026 Editorial Board of The Sophian is thrilled to announce that it has received five awards in the College Division of the 2025 New England Better Newspaper Competition. The Better Newspaper Competition is the largest prestige journalism recognition program in the region, honoring outstanding work from New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA) member news organizations as well as student publications.
The Sophian won two out of three places in the brand new Critics Award category with “I Ate the Stew: What Happens When A Meme Page Can See Its Audience” by writer Maya Jacobs ’26 and “Just When You Thought You Couldn’t Feel More, Adrianne Lenker Plays the AOM Theater” by Editor-in-Chief Olivia Petty ’26.
In the News Story category, Arts & Culture Editor Gryffyn May ’27 won with the article “Union Faces Resistance Over Worker Protections in Contract Negotiations.”
Photographer Anna Siegel ’26 placed in the Photo Series category for her photo series accompanying “So Sad in This Beautiful Place: Water From Your Eyes Live at The Drake.”
Finally, Olivia Petty ’26 won the Top College Journalist award in association with The Sophian.
Finalists will learn their actual place of finish (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) at the Awards Banquet held during the New England Newspaper Convention, which will take place on Friday – Saturday, March 13 – 14, 2026, at The Venue at Portwalk Place in Portsmouth, New Hamp. Convention registration information can be found here.
We are immensely proud of our writers, editors and photographers, and hope to continue building on this year’s achievement by making submissions to the Better Newspaper Competition an annual tradition. We firmly believe that a strong student press is a vital organ for all colleges and universities, and we are honored to be recognized by NENPA for our hard work and dedication.
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