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KEARNEY — The Nebraska Press Association (NPA) celebrated the best in Nebraska journalism during its annual convention held April 25-26 in Kearney. The event brought together newspaper professionals from across the state to recognize outstanding work, lifelong achievement, and the future of the industry through a series of prestigious awards and scholarships.
The highest honor of the convention was the induction of two esteemed journalists into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame. This recognition honors individuals who have made significant, lasting contributions to journalism in Nebraska. This year’s inductees were Victoria Ayotte Brown and Mark Rhoades, whose careers exemplify the values of integrity, commitment, and service to community journalism.
The Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Nebraska Press Association and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to journalism at the local, state or national level. Since its inception in 1975, 121 journalists have been inducted.
Victoria Ayotte Brown
Victoria Ayotte Brown has dedicated more than 30 years to journalism, shaping the industry through digital content, design, editing and newsroom leadership. A 1991 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with degrees in news-editorial and political science, she has made lasting contributions to Nebraska journalism while also influencing the national newspaper landscape.
Brown now serves as the Central Nebraska editor of the Grand Island Independent, Kearney Hub and York News-Times. She also has mentored future journalists as a professionalin- residence at UNL’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Mark Rhoades
Mark Rhoades has spent his life in Blair, home to his family’s newspaper business for more than a century. After working alongside his father, Ken, for many years, Rhoades purchased the company in 1997, becoming the fifth generation to own the business. Under his leadership, the company expanded to include additional publications in Nebraska and Iowa. His newspapers have received numerous general excellence awards, as well as the Omaha World-Herald Community Service and Service to Agriculture awards.
Rhoades served as Nebraska Press Association president in 2008 and spent many years on its board of directors. In Iowa, he was honored with the Master Editor-Publisher Award in 2014 and became a Heritage Member in 2019.
Outstanding Young Nebraska Journalist
Nejla Muminovic, Norfolk Daily News, and Jenna Ebbers, Lincoln Journal Star, were named the 2025 Outstanding Young Nebraska Journalists. The two tied for first place. Caitlyn Thomas, North Platte Telegraph, was the runner up. This award highlights an emerging leader in the field who is making a mark early in their career through reporting excellence, community engagement, and innovation in storytelling.
Don Harpst, Sr. Leadership Award
This year’s Don Harpst, Sr. Leadership Award, which recognizes leadership and leadership potential in Nebraska newspaper professionals, was presented to LuAnn and Scott Schindler, publishers of the Clearwater Summerland Advocate-Messenger. They were honored for their work in the community, especially for helping youth to see their hometowns as places where leadership is meaningful – and possible.
A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism
The inaugural A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism was made possible through a partnership between the Nebraska Press Association and the A-Mark Foundation. The award was created to shine a spotlight on the kind of journalism that goes beyond the daily beat—the work that digs deeper, asks tougher questions, and tells stories that might otherwise never be told. The winners of the prize this year were:
• Third Place – Molly Ashford, Omaha World-Herald
• Second Place — Sara Gentzler and Alex Richards, Flatwater Free Press
• First Place — Andrew Wegley and Chris Dunker, Lincoln Journal Star Reporters and their respective newsrooms were awarded cash prizes to continue their work in investigative journalism.
Golden Pica Pole Award
Given annually to newspaper professionals who have dedicated 50+ years to the industry, the Golden Pica Pole Award was presented to Lulene Sebade, Dakota County Star; Jenny Tyrell, Pender Times and Rod Worrell, Ainsworth Star-Journal.
For those who don’t know what a pica pole is, it’s a metal ruler used by printers in the composing room to measure type by picas (12 points to the pica, six picas to the inch). And a bit of trivia – way back in the day, the pica pole was pounded against a metal surface in the ritual of honoring an employee leaving the premises for the last time.
