Newspaper wins several INA awards

Harlan Newspapers won several awards at the 2025 Iowa Newspapers Association’s (INA) Iowa Better Newspaper Contest, chief among them First Place in Community Service for the team’s work following the 2024 tornado disaster that devastated rural Shelby County. The newspaper assisted in producing a report to help convince FEMA to designate Shelby County a disaster area and raised over $1,200 toward the Shelby County Tornado Relief Effort.
    Former General Manager Mike Kolbe said, “I was glad to be part of a team of community leaders who came together following the disaster to compile information and make it available to our state and federal officials. Nori’s (Griffith) design skills and other resources available at the Harlan Newspapers also played a key role in the report’s development. I hope in some small way the report contributed to the relief effort and created a lasting document to memorialize the devastation so many in Shelby County endured.
Harlan Newspapers publisher Joshua Byers talked with former owner Steve Mores about the paper’s long-standing tradition of placing well in state and national newspaper contests. Mores said the newspaper has won community service at least four times prior.
“It’s no secret that we’ve lost quite a few of our seasoned veterans,” Byers said. “But as we move to the future, I’m so proud that our new staff is growing into their roles to the point that we’re competing with larger newspapers and still earning first place.”
The other newspapers to place in that category were the Decorah Leader and the Sheldon N’West Iowa REVIEW.
Harlan Managing Editor Renée Brich also won third place for best breaking news photo and Designer Nori Griffith worked with Kolbe to take home second place for the best ad featuring miscellaneous products or services. The newspaper also won second place for best advertising idea for a community promotion or event, thanks to the efforts of Advertising Manager Tami Schechinger.
The Iowa City Daily Iowan was named Iowa Newspaper Association’s 2025 “Newspaper of the Year” among all class sizes.  The award was announced during the association’s Awards Ceremony on February 6.
The contest was judged by the Kansas Press Association. Approximately 3,200 entries in dozens of categories were judged by class, based on circulation. Class I is for newspapers published once a week with 755 circulation and under, Class II is for newspapers published once a week with circulation 756 to 1,260, Class III is for newspapers published once a week with 1,261 circulation and above, Class IV are newspapers published more than once a week 3,750 and under; Class V newspapers are published more than once a week with 3,751 and above circulation.