Seven Days won 26 first-place awards in this year’s New England Better Newspaper Competition, for reporting on education, health, business, government, housing, climate change, religious issues, the environment and transportation.
The paper earned second place in 13 categories and received 13 thirds, for a total of 52 official citations in the annual contest — the most we’ve ever won. The design team won three of the four overall design awards. Alison Novak was named Reporter of the Year.
These awards were presented on March 14 at the 2026 New England Newspaper Convention in Portsmouth, N.H. In most categories, Seven Days competed against other large-circulation weeklies.
The competition, hosted by the New England Newspaper & Press Association, honors outstanding work by newspapers and online outlets. We’re grateful to NENPA for the recognition and to the advertisers and Super Readers who support our work! Read on for the list of winners, along with judges’ comments.
1st Place Awards:
Reporter of the Year: Alison Novak
Business/Economic Reporting: Courtney Lamdin for “Years After Expansion, City Market Struggles to Make a Profit“
“This richly reported story includes important financial details but also provided readers with an understanding of what the coop means to the community. Thank you for including the voices of shoppers. “
Climate Change or Weather Reporting: Kevin McCallum for “Vermonters Want Buyouts for Their Flooded Homes. Some Towns Are Saying No.”
“The author put faces on the disproportionate impacts of flooding, and uses telling details to relay the gut punch of not only losing a cherished home, but also not getting federal help to walk away.”
Combatting Misinformation and Restoring Trust: Paula Routly for “From the Publisher”
Contemporary Issues Photo: James Buck for “Vermont Doesn’t Track Homeless Deaths. So We Did.”
Crime and Courts Reporting: Rachel Hellman for “Videos Show a Former Grand Isle Corporal’s Quick Temper“
Critics Award: Alice Dodge for “Protest, History and Democracy Reverberate at the Current Gallery in Stowe”
“Sharp-eyed review of ‘It often rhymes,’ a bold show of politically charged works.”
Editorial Cartoon: Tim Newcomb for “Environmental Pulverization Agency”
Education Reporting: Alison Novak for “Education Secretary Zoie Saunders Doesn’t Seek the Spotlight — but Can’t Escape It”
Environmental Reporting: Jonathan Mingle for “Vermont’s Loggers and Sawmills Are Disappearing — and That’s Bad News for Forests”
Events Special Section: The Seven Days Guide to the South End Art Hop
Excellence in Newsroom Collaboration and Partnerships: Derek Brouwer/Liam Elder-Connors for “Vermont Doesn’t Track Homeless Deaths. So We Did.“
General News Story: Derek Brouwer for “Surging Cyber Scams Leave Older Vermonters Destitute, Frustrated and Saddled With Tax Debt“
“This news feature, while expansive, is the ultimate cautionary tale detailing virtually every aspect of the insidious fraud being perpetrated on some of the most fragile and undeserving victims … Brouwer deserves high marks for — after all they went through — earning the trust of the subjects, who provided so many potent and deeply personal details … This report is an important public and reader service that will hopefully help other vulnerable individuals avoid similar tragedies.”
Government Reporting: Alison Novak for “Company Founder Helping Design Detention Center Runs Other Programs Facing Legal Claims”
“Seven Days performed an extraordinary public service by investigating the company hired to run Vermont’s troubled juvenile lockup solution.”
Health Reporting: Colin Flanders for “Vermont Has a Drinking Problem. It’s Time to Talk About it.”
“This investigation delivers exceptional health reporting by confronting an often-overlooked public-health crisis with rigor and context.”
Housing News: Derek Brouwer/Liam Elder-Connors for “Vermont Doesn’t Track Homeless Deaths. So We Did.“
“This is such a starkly disheartening and discomforting read it was hard to push on. Good on you for making it that difficult. The fact that Vermont doesn’t track homeless deaths and people like Todd Gorton die alone and in pain is incomprehensible and anyone reading this should be stunned. Superb narrative … I hope everyone who was sitting in a warm home with a full belly reading your story on a dark February night gave solemn pause, and then offered help.”
Investigative/Enterprise Reporting: Alison Novak for “Parents Fear Fraud After Colchester Childcare Center Closes Suddenly”
“Kudos on revealing the truth and a story that had impact, forced change. Detailed reporting, real people. This wasn’t just one bad guy, it is one flawed system that a bad guy took advantage of.”
Local Personality Profile: Melissa Pasanen for “A Baker’s 100: Marshfield’s Jules Rabin Celebrates a Century of Intellectual Curiosity, Trailblazing Bread and Peace Activism”
“‘A Baker’s 100’ does a masterful job capturing the personality and values of a remarkable individual.”
News Video: Eva Sollberger for “The Haskell Free Library Finds a Solution to Border Restrictions”
Overall Design and Presentation (Niche Product): Diane Sullivan and Design Staff for “Find Your Best Buds: Vermont Cannabiz Guide”
“This is a great design executed with extreme care. The typography matches the subject matter well, and is employed throughout the book, creating a very cohesive look. There are many different kinds of storytelling techniques here, from the word glossary to the products page. Each have been well designed and conform to a common color palette throughout the whole section. This section design is disciplined and yet varied.”
Overall Design and Presentation (Print Newspaper): Design Staff for “Straw Man”
“Strong consistent design throughout the book with thoughtful storytelling choices. I like how the thread of the cover illustration picks up with the interior spread, creating continuity and cohesion.”
Overall Design and Presentation (Special Section): Design Staff for “The Connections Issue”
“Smart, creative illustration that captures the thematic material while injecting some levity.”
Personality Photo: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur for “Sparky Potter Has Made Some of Vermont’s Most Iconic Signs”
“A superb personality portrait that seamlessly blends subject, setting, and story. The photographer uses environment and expression to clearly communicate who this person is and why he is newsworthy, making this a standout example of the category.”
Reporting on Religious Issues: Joe Sexton for “In Barre, a Church for the Addicted Seeks to Save Souls”
“My goodness. Rarely in my 25 years of religion reporting have a read a piece that takes my breath away like this one.”
Social Issues Feature Story: Courtney Lamdin for “Burlingtonians Adapt as Drug Use and Safety Concerns Rise“
Special Section or Editorial Supplement: Seven Days Staff for “Gift Guide: The Seven Days Holiday Shopping Handbook”
“I absolutely love this gift guide magazine! … After reading the guide, I decided to buy the Little Tree Terrarium Kit.”
Transportation Reporting: Derek Brouwer for “Green Mountain Transit Searches for Cash — and Its Soul“
2nd Place Awards
Best Website Home Page: Bryan Parmelee and Don Eggert for the Seven Days website
Contemporary Issues Photo: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur for “Vermonters Want Buyouts for Their Flooded Homes. Some Towns Are Saying No.“
Education Reporting: Alison Novak for “To Address a Teacher Shortage, North Country Union High School Looked to the Philippines“
Food Page or Section: Melissa Pasanen, Jordan Barry
General Excellence: Seven Days staff
General News Story: Colin Flanders for “A Surgeon Sues His Employer, UVM Medical Center, Over Son’s Death“
“Everything about this reporting is near perfect. From the compelling lede that immediately hooks one in, to the verdict teaser that keeps them reading to the very end … Flanders relates very compelling information anyone can benefit from if they know or fear a loved one is grappling with addiction.”
Housing News: Kevin McCallum for “This Lot Was Slated for Housing — Until a Neighbor Stepped In“
“What a wild tale. Money. Politics. Property dispute. Neighborhood tension. Words like ‘asinine’ and ‘pissed.’ Doesn’t get much better than this. I have to agree with Yves Bradley. It’s a wonder anything gets built in Vermont. And thank you for writing a NIMBY piece without using the acronym ….”
Immigration Coverage: Colin Flanders, Alison Novak, Ken Picard for “Hundreds of Afghan Evacuees Are Cobbling Together New Lives in Vermont. But They Can’t Help Looking Homeward.“
Investigative / Enterprise Reporting: Joe Sexton for “One Man’s Buying Spree Exposes the Drugs-for-Guns Trade in Vermont“
“This clearly required volumnious work wading through reports and documents to get to an important issue. Investigative includes shining light on issues and actions people may not otherwise know about.”
Local Personality Profile: Dan Bolles for “The Ballad of Tom Banjo, Vermont’s ‘Vagabond’ Storyteller“
Overall Design and Presentation (Specialty Publication): Diane Sullivan, Sean Metcalf, Design Staff for “All the Best, Seven Daysies“
Reporting on Religious Issues: Derek Brouwer for “Burlington Bishop Hears Sex Abuse Survivors’ Stories“
“Mercy — what a powerful piece about the impact of abuse.”
Sports Video: Eva Sollberger for “Wild Ice Skating With Evan Perkins on Lake Champlain“
3rd Place Awards
Arts & Entertainment Reporting: Mary Ann Lickteig for “Amid a Volatile Industry, Burlington May Lose Its Only Cinema“
“Mary Ann Lickteig provides a comprehensive and human examination of Vermont’s teetering cinemas. This is both a story about lost arts venues and a collapsing business model … This could have been a typical business story; it’s so much more impactful than that.”
Arts & Entertainment Section: Dan Bolles for “From Vermont to ‘The Tonight Show,’ Comedian Tina Friml Can’t Lose“
Critics Award: Margot Harrison for “Book Review: ‘The Afterlife Project,’ Tim Weed“
Editorial Cartoon: Tim Newcomb for “Cutting Free School Meals”
Energy News and Reporting: Kevin McCallum for “An Error Cost Burlington Electric $1 Million“
Entertainment or Feature Video: Eva Sollberger for “A Home and Garden Tour of Fern Crete’s Burlington Oasis“
Health Reporting: Colin Flanders for “Health Care Costs in Vermont Continue to Soar“
“This in-depth story offers vital, local health reporting on a pressing and widespread problem: the relentless escalation of health care costs in Vermont and its ripple effects across the state’s communities, employers and care systems … It helps readers grasp not only how high prices are affecting access and affordability, but why the trend persists and what it could mean for the future of health care in their state.”
Home & Garden Writing: Ken Picard for “Life Stories: Remembering World-Renowned Warren Architect Dave Sellers“
Immigration Coverage: Lucy Tompkins for “Vermont Immigrants Are Now Reluctant to Cross the Border“
Immigration Coverage: Courtney Lamdin for “South Sudanese Vermonters Pay Price of Trump Visa Ban“
News Video: Eva Sollberger for “Johnson Public Library Moves to Higher Ground, Out of the Flood Zone“
Obituaries: Mary Ann Lickteig for “Life Story: Barbara Nolfi ‘Had This View of How Things Ought to Be“
“Seven Days staff writer Mary Ann Lickteig does a stellar job chronicling the life of Burlington, Vt. activist Barbara Nolfi, whose counterculture roots foreshadowed a long-standing embrace of progressive politics. Lickteig is a gifted writer with a particular knack for turning a phrase. Her characterization of Nolfi as someone ‘who rode into Vermont on somebody else’s dream (and) spent the rest of her life here building a better reality’ is pitch perfect — while her coda depicting Nolfi’s simple burial was especially poignant.”
Protest or Demonstration Coverage: Rachel Hellman for “Sugarbush’s ‘Snow Reporter’ Critiqued Vance as He Visited“
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