In an evening celebrating journalistic excellence in New England, The Times took home 11 awards from the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA).
NENPA’s Better Newspaper competition was held at a crowded banquet hall in the Venue at Portwalk Place in Portsmouth, N.H., on Saturday, after a day of workshops at the venue.
“The recognition this team has received from NENPA is well-deserved. This is a team that has performed at the highest levels at a very difficult time, especially in the past few months,” Charles Sennott, publisher of The Times, said. “It’s really important for the community to know it has an Island newspaper that is going above and beyond to deliver the news.”
The Minute, The Times’ daily newsletter, won first place in the “outstanding newsletter” category, and The Times’ front page of its June 5 edition also won first place. Recognition of the daily newsletter, Sennott said, especially gives Times staff the energy to keep serving the Island.
The Times won top honors in multiple editorial categories for weekly newspapers. Contributing reporter Paula Moura’s coverage of the Brazilian community won several first-place awards, including “From inside detention facility, Vineyard Brazilian immigrant shares story of his arrest” for “general news,” “A wave of immigration” for immigration coverage, and a joint win with photographer Robyn Twomey for “In the shadows,” which was published in the summer 2025 edition of Arts & Ideas magazine, for the “photo story” category. News editor and reporter Hayley Duffy won second place for “energy news and reporting” for her story “A journey to see the spin,” and Sarah Shaw Dawson, Island Writer and staff reporter, won second place in the housing news category for her coverage of the housing crisis on Martha’s Vineyard. Dawson also won second place with former WCAI reporter Eve Zuckoff in the “excellence in newsroom collaboration and partnerships” for a story titled “Opening up uncertainty.”
The Times’ collaborative project with the Nantucket Current won third place in the “special sports section” category. This section was made by The Times’ managing designer Dave Plath and staff reporter and sports editor Nicholas Vukota, and the Current’s sports editor and senior reporter David Creed.
In the “general excellence” section among weekly newspapers with a circulation of up to 5,000, The Times won second place, tied with the Vermont Standard.
Numerous newsrooms attended the banquet, and The Times wasn’t the only newsrooms from the Island that won awards. Bluedot Living magazine and the Vineyard Gazette also won awards, a highlight being the selection of Ray Ewing of the Gazette as the 2025 photojournalist of the year.
NENPA represents and serves some 450 daily, weekly, and specialty newspapers across New England.
I am not a bit surprised at these honors bestowed by NENPA. The writing and also the dedication to community reporting seem, in my humble opinion, to be excellent. Euniki Seonwoo, I would like to know how to properly pronounce your name.
Congratulations to the staff at The Martha’s Vineyard Times on the recognition from New England Newspaper & Press Association.
Local journalism matters, and it’s good to see the Island’s paper recognized across New England.