Schneps Media — the parent company of more than 70 publications across New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, Philadelphia and Florida — is proud to announce that its editors, reporters, photographers, graphics artists, web developers and sales team took home 36 awards in the 2021 New York Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.
The annual awards, presented during the New York Press Association’s Spring Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York, recognize outstanding, high-quality journalism produced by community newspapers throughout the Empire State.
Schneps Media newspapers earned awards in various categories recognizing outstanding editorial, graphic and photographic content, website development as well as excellence in advertising. The chain finished the contest with 365 points, the second-highest total for newsgroups across the Empire State.
Of particular note, Schneps Media secured a combined 23 first- and second-place awards, reflecting the high-quality work of its team of editors, reporters, photographers, graphic designers and salespeople.
“We are proud of the work our editorial team does every day covering the most grassroots local news throughout New York City and Long Island,” Schneps Media CEO Joshua Schneps said. “This past year was particularly a special time to be recognized as our reporters and editors worked tirelessly covering critical topics such as the pandemic and public safety. We have the best team in the business and they play a major role in our coverage area, writing many stories that you can’t find anywhere else.”
The Queens Courier won three prizes at this year’s NYPA contest: second place for coverage of crime/police/courts (Division 2), second place for coverage of elections, which included the implementation of ranked-choice voting, and second place for feature story (Division 6.)
Other NYPA awards won by Schneps Media included the following:
amNewYork Metro, New York City’s largest circulated daily newspaper, won four first-place prizes, including the inaugural Solutions Journalism Project for its “The Race to Deliver” series, which focused on the social and economic impacts of grocery delivery apps. The publication also won first place for best feature photo (Division 3), best newsletter and best media kit/sales collateral.
The Brooklyn Paper earned two first-place awards for spot news coverage (Division 3) and best COVID-19 story.
The Bronx Times took home a first-place award for news story (Division 2), for an in-depth report on homelessness.
Gay City News, which focuses on LGBTQ issues in New York City and beyond, secured first-place honors for coverage of crime/police/courts division.
Dan’s Papers, the weekly newspaper of the Hamptons, won first place for feature story (Division 6) and for its Behind the Hedges magazine, which was again named best real estate home section.
