What an honor it is to win the Sweepstakes award for the first time in the paper’s history.”

Carla Robinson, Editor

The Local is becoming known as the little newspaper that could. I think these awards say something about who we are and where we’re headed as an organization.”

Jane Hughes, Local Board President

Last year, the hardworking staff at The Chestnut Hill Local impressed Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association judges who rewarded the paper’s efforts with seven Professional Keystone Media Awards and eight advertising awards. This year the judges were really impressed. The overall award total more than doubled — to 29 — including the coveted Sweepstakes Award, given to the news organization with the highest point total in its division. 

Notably, the Local’s editorial team won seven first place prizes, seven seconds and an honorable mention in a broad range of categories. Virtually every staffer who entered won an award. Meanwhile, our small but mighty advertising staff won two first place, five second place, and three honorable mentions, including multiple awards in two different categories.

Among the first to congratulate the Local was former publisher John Derr.

Local Board President Jane Hughes added her sentiments, “I’m so happy to see the work of so many of our staff recognized by their peers,” she said. “The Chestnut Hill Local is becoming known as the little newspaper that could. I think these awards say something about who we are and where we’re headed as an organization.”

Editor Carla Robinson deflected congratulations for her own sizable contribution to the award record. “What an incredible honor it is to win the Sweepstakes award for the first time in the paper’s history,” she said, “There’s no way we could have done it without the incredible team we’ve put together, and we were competing against organizations with much larger staffs.”

She added praise for colleagues Kristin Holmes’ sensitive reporting and eagle-eyed editing, Len Lear “with his reliably clever voice,” and Tom Beck’s ability to uncover multi-layered stories.

She also expressed gratitude for the collaboration with other publications that made it possible to employ independent journalist Kyle Bagenstose and pointed to two categories, Enterprise Reporting and Reporting on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that she’s particularly proud of winning.

Repeating her assertion that “journalism is a team effort,” she emphasized the contribution of the advertising and business staff, led by Leisha Shaffer and the production staff, led by Blaise Brugger.

Leisha Shaffer, the Local’s Sales & Marketing Manager, expressed her appreciation as well. “I’m very grateful that our advertising and production staff have received such well-deserved recognition.  Their hard work and creativity, week in and week out, help make the Local one of the best community papers in the state.”

She lauded the contributions of Philadelphia advertising rep Leslie Cerf and Montgomery County rep George Ward as well as the tireless efforts of Blaise Brugger and his production team, Rush Kress and Joanne Davis. There was an award ceremony last month to honor the efforts of advertising winners and there will be an award ceremony this fall in recognition of editorial achievements. 

First Place

A first place award for Enterprise Reporting went to Carla Robinson and Kyle Bagenstose for “Is Green City, Clean Waters succeeding or is $2.4 billion going down the drain?” It was part of a series partnership with Grid magazine and Delaware Currents.

Robinson partnered with Tom Beck for another first with their Breaking News coverage of the three-alarm fire that destroyed Our Mother of Consolation school.

First place for News Feature Story went to Wendy Univer for her reporting on “The competitive world of high school robotics.”

Len Lear, no stranger to awards, garnered a first for his Business or Consumer Story about “Philadelphia alumna’s sweet invention.”

A pair of editorials by Carla Robinson won first place recognition, “How we respond to hate; a pivotal choice” and “Raw sewage in our waterways.”

Tom Beck was a first place winner for Sports Feature with “Angelo Cataldi, football, and the art of negativity.”

Kristin Holmes was recognized with a first place award for Personality Profile with, “A retiring minister whose next steps are anything but.”

Second Place

Second place award winners include Kyle Bagenstose’s “Summer derailment raises safety concerns,” for Enterprise Reporting; Carla Robinson & Tom Beck’s coverage of police and courts for Newsbeat Reporting; “How Chestnut Hill Hospital was saved” by Tom Beck and Carla Robinson for Business or Consumer Story; Len Lear’s “Vintage View” column; Carla Robinson’s Sports Feature “The thrill and heartache of catching fish with a fly.” 

A trio of designers, Richard Stein, John Derr and Rush Kress were awarded second place for Feature Page Design for their “Irish Music,” “Ballet’ and “Collage” layouts.

Another second went to Kristin Holmes, Carla Robinson and Tom Beck for Excellence in Reporting on Diversity- Equity and Inclusion  for their “Homophobia, Racism, and Growing Up Black” article submissions.

Honorable Mention

Beck and Robinson also won an honorable mention for Ongoing News Coverage for “NeoNazi intimidation.”

Advertising awards

The Local won first place honors for Best Special Section/Niche Publication for its Holidays on the Hill section and first place in the “Wild Card” category for the Friends of the Wissahickon newsletter inserted in our Wissahickon magazine.

And the paper earned second place recognition in five categories, including Best Ad Campaign or Series for The Hill at Whitemarsh, Best Multiple Advertiser Ad for Mt. Airy Valentine’s Shopping, Best Special Event/Vendor Support Idea for the Home & Garden Festival section, Best Real Estate/Builder/Renter Ad for the Hill at Whitemarsh, in addition to an Honorable Mention for Elfant Wissahickon, and Best Business Building Idea for the “Spot the Lobster” promotion, along with an Honorable Mention for the Spring/Summer issue of Explore.

Honorable Mention also went to the Quintessence Theatre Group for Best Native Ad and Laurel Hill Cemetery for Best Ad Campaign Using Multiple Products. 

The Chestnut Hill Community Association/Chestnut Hill Local joint anniversary ad in the CHCA’s 75th Anniversary section also won an Honorable Mention.

Keystone awards are handed out in seven divisions based on size of circulation. The Local is in Division VI - weekly newspapers with circulation under 6,000. Other Sweepstakes winners included Harrisburg’s PennLive/The Patriot News, Division I; Pittsburgh’s TribLive, Division II; The York Daily Record, Division III; The York Dispatch, Division IV; Harrisburg’s TheBurg, Division V and Lancaster Farming, Division VII.

According to the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s website, “The Professional Keystone Media Awards reinforce excellence by individuals in the news media profession, by recognizing journalism that consistently provides relevance, integrity, and initiative in serving readers, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights/responsibilities. Further, the Keystone Press Awards stimulate journalists to improve their craft and ultimately improve their community.”