The Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter snagged 46 awards in the 2025 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence contest.

KPA released the list of winners April 9. Included were 12 first place finishes for the paper, 22 second place finishes and 12 third place finishes.

“Our staff works so hard to produce a high-quality newspaper every week,” editor/publisher Karen Bonar said. “I am excited for the staff to be recognized for its dedication to telling the stories of Ellsworth County.”

Bonar said she is most excited about the first place finish in the News and Writing Excellence category.

“This reviews the entire paper’s contents,” she said. “The award doesn’t go to one individual; everyone must produce top-notch reporting to earn this award.”

Similarly, the Best Use of Photos category analyzes the visuals of the paper.

“I was excited for our newspaper to place second in that category,” Bonar said. “This is the first year I’ve entered the design or combo categories with word/photo design. I know we have strong writers on staff, but to have the paper recognized for its overall quality is flattering.”

In addition to entering design categories, the I-R received first, second and third place for Best Magazine. It also placed second for Best Advertising Special Section for the 2024 Travel and Tourism insert.

“In 2024, we had to pivot to a new format for travel and tourism,” Bonar said. “It was a bit of a risk, but the product looks fantastic. Our advertisers love it, and we’re looking forward to the 2025 edition coming out in a few weeks.”

All reporters and each full-time member of the staff received an award.

Longtime advertising manager and reporter Alan Rusch snagged first place for his city/government story, “City council censures mayor.”

“I was absolutely surprised I was awarded for my city council story,” he said. “It was not an enjoyable story for me to write, but a necessary one.

“Not everybody goes to those council meetings, and I feel it is my job to give our readers a good idea of what the city council is doing twice a month at their meetings.”

His story “Saving Grace” placed first in both the Youth and Health categories.

“This was very well done and a clearcut No. 1 in the category,” the judge wrote. “It was great to share her story and tell how people could assist along her journey.”

Rush said the story about Grace Bohnen was one he connected with.

“This story means a lot to me because my mother, Lillian, had her own battle with breast cancer, so someone battling cancer touched my heart,” he said. “Unfortunately, Grace lost her battle, but she went down swinging. She was a real fighter and a worthy role model for others fighting this horrible disease to have.”

Rusch was also recognized for his story about the mammography suite at Ellsworth County Medical Center.

“Since early detection of breast cancer significantly improves survival rate, it’s imperative that a community have diagnostic options available,” the judge wrote about the first place news story. “The writer gave a thorough overview of the new mammography suite available at their local hospital. These types of articles are very important to our communities.” Veteran staff member, graphic designer Bill Beckmeyer, was recognized with second and third places in Editorial Cartoons. Many of the newspaper categories are judged against papers with similar circulations. The editorial cartoons are judged against all newspapers in the state.

“I didn’t know I could hold my own against the other guys,” he said. “It really shocked me, actually. It makes me feel good I was able to do that.”

He was recognized for his cartoons “Rate Increase Rumblings” and “Open Enrollment.”

“This cartoon was fun, funny and got the point across well,” the judge wrote.

Catherine Doud, a new addition to the writing staff, earned a few nods from the judges as well.

Her story about the re-opening of C&V’s Convenience Store in Holyrood was awarded first place in Local Business Story.

“Really compelling and honest story with an unmodified look into the struggle of many small businesses that are family-owned,” the judge wrote. “Tells about the business, but also the ‘why’ behind those who make it run.”

Doud said she was flattered by the recognition.

“No one writes a story thinking about an award. Our biggest prize is if someone mentions reading the story and how much they enjoyed it,” she said. “The restaurant story was special because of the family aspect. Having all of the former employees back and ready to support the business really showed how much that business meant to the community.”

Her story about Ellsworth Jr./Sr. High School golf coach Darin Holecek’s experience at the U.S. Adaptive Open Golf Championship placed first in Sports Feature Story.

“Meeting and working with golf coach Darin Holecek was a delight,” Doud said. “I had never heard about the U.S. Adaptive Open Golf Championship before. I could hear how inspired he was in his voice and I wanted to share that experience.”

Bonar also snagged a variety of awards. They included agricultural stories, editorial writing, local business story and religion story.

“I rarely have a shortage of content for the paper,” she said. “There are a plethora of interesting stories all around us.”

One example is the story that featured friends Peggy Weinhold and Patti Kubick.

“I got my times mixed up and arrived an hour early to the homecoming football game,” Bonar said. “I went in the gate, found a shady spot and intended to read a book. Instead, I heard the banter of these two ticket-takers and was laughing so hard. I didn’t begin that day knowing I would write a story, but when I had what I thought would be a quiet moment, an interesting story with two fantastic characters presented itself. So I wrote it.”

Rusch also led the ad sales for the Travel and Tourism Guide, which placed second in special section — Advertising.

“The reason why this was so noteworthy is because it was the first year we did a full-color directory as opposed to a full-color magazine,” Rusch said. “I personally like this directory format the best because it is easy for tourists to take with them and have a handy guide to all the best places in a community to visit.”

Being recognized is always nice, Bonar said. “It can feel like we’re always chasing a deadline at the paper,” she said. “Sometimes we need an outside set of eyes to evaluate how we are doing as a newspaper. Are we serving our community? Are we telling high-quality stories? Is our design current?

“The annual contest allows us the much-needed opportunity to gain feedback from other professionals. To see where we are strong and to see where we can improve.”

Rusch said he is grateful for the recognition.

“I just want to thank each and every member of the Independent-Reporter staff for all their hard work this past year. We are a team,” Rusch said. “We each have our own niche we fill to make what you get in the mail and online each week the best local newspaper we can. We love and respect our readers and the communities in which they live.

“We are also humbled and gratified by the response our readers give us each week. The Independent-Reporter, is, after all, the community’s newspaper.”

Awards will be handed out at the annual KPA Convention Friday, June 6, at Homewood Suites, Salina.