HONORING THE 2025 WINNERS

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The prize is named for the late Benjamin Carmage Walls whose newspaper career spanned seven decades. Walls primarily owned community newspapers and advocated strong, courageous and positive editorial page leadership. His daughter — Lissa Walls Cribb — is CEO of Southern Newspapers.

EDITORIALS - UNDER 35,000 CIRCULATION

FIRST-PLACE

DAVE COFFEY
Editorial Page Editor
The Berkshire Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
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SECOND-PLACE

BYRON TATE
Editor
The Pine Bluff Commercial
Pine Bluff, Arkansas

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THIRD-PLACE

INEZ RUSSELL GOMEZ
Editorial Page Editor
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe, New Mexico

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ADDITIONAL FINALISTS IN THIS CATEGORY ARE:

  • Dave Coffey, editorial page editor, The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (for a second entry) – Read More
  • Jeff Kovaleski, editorial writer, and Fred McKissack, editorial page editor, The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana – Read More
  • Steve Stewart, publisher, The Smithfield Times, Smithfield, Virginia – Read More

EDITORIALS - OVER 35,000 CIRCULATION

FIRST-PLACE

VICTOR JOECKS
Columnist
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas, Nevada
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SECOND-PLACE

ARNESSA GARRETT
Deputy Editor | Opinion
The Times-Picayune | The Advocate
​Louisiana
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THIRD-PLACE

NICK HRKMAN
Community Impact Editor
Dayton Daily News
​Dayton, Ohio
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ADDITIONAL FINALIST IN THIS CATEGORY IS:

  • David Barham, editorial page editor, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock – Read More

COLUMNS - UNDER 35,000 CIRCULATION

FIRST-PLACE

BLAKE FONTENAY
Columnist
TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers
Fort Pierce, Florida
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SECOND-PLACE

CHARITA GOSHAY
Columnist/Reporter
The Canton Repository
Canton, Ohio
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THIRD-PLACE

STEVE STEWART
Publisher
The Smithfield Times
Smithfield, Virginia
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ADDITIONAL FINALISTS IN THIS CATEGORY ARE:

  • Greg Weatherbee, publisher, The Lufkin Daily News, Lufkin, Texas – Read More

COLUMNS - UNDER 35,000 CIRCULATION

FIRST-PLACE

FAIMON A. ROBERTS III
Columnist
The Times-Picayune | The Advocate
Louisiana
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SECOND-PLACE

DOUGLAS LYONS
Editorial Writer and Columnist
The Palm Beach Post
​West Palm Beach, Florida
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THIRD-PLACE

STEPHANIE GRACE
Columnist and Editorial Director
The Times-Picayune | The Advocate
Louisiana
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ADDITIONAL FINALISTS IN THIS CATEGORY ARE:

  • Bridget Grumet, editorial page editor, Austin American-Statesman, Austin, Texas – Read More