Winner Placements Announced June 4 at Community News Brief (CNB) staff are nominated for 18 awards, including design and editorial, in the 2025 Illinois Press Association Contest. The annual convention will be held June 4 in East Peoria. Awards are given for first, second, third and fourth place. Last year, The CNB brought home 12 awards, including third place in the General Excellence division and second place for the Sweepstakes Award, as well as numerous first and second place awards. In 2024, the CNB received first in the Personality Profile Division for the Fabulous Life of Martha Sweeney by Owner and Publisher Lynne Campbell. The Community News Brief competes against numerous other Illinois newspapers in the Class B division.
In addition to the nominees listed below, The CNB also submitted two newspaper issues to be considered for the General Excellence Award and will be considered for the 2025 Sweepstakes Award. The 2025 nominees include: Advertising:
Non-Daily Division Best Color Ad and All Division Best Shared Page/Signature Page.
Editorial Division B (Non-Daily Newspaper): ( 1) News Reporting Series, (1) Localized National Story, (3 stories) Government Beat Reporting, (3 stories) Business/Economic Reporting, (2 stories) Obituary Tribute, (3 stories) Feature Writing, (3 stories) Feature Writing – Personality Profile The Community News Brief started almost 10 years ago as a three-day-a-week free community newsletter, and in the last five years, has grown into a twice-a-week, award-winning newspaper featuring local news, entertainment, features, sports, advertising, special sections and more.
'I am so excited – and proud – to be recognized by our peers once again this year,' Campbell noted. 'This would not be possible without the extraordinary team we've put together over the last few years, nor without our loyal advertisers, dedicated subscribers and readers.”
Campbell struck out on her own in 2017 to create The Community News Brief (CNB) to serve the region where she was born and raised. In 2021, The Community News Brief flourished into a successful weekly newspaper, morphing the Friday free publication into a weekly subscription only paper, while still keeping two free 'newsletter' publications per week, all of which continued to feature local news, events, sports, entertainment and more. The Community News Brief continued its growth and in 2023, expanded into a twice-a-week by-subscription newspaper, while still keeping a free newsletter, now called The MIDWEEK (delivered to area businesses on Wednesdays). Last year, the CNB expanded the reach as McDonough County's only locally-owned and operated newspaper, to a digital edition at communitynewsmarket. com.
The Community News Brief employs 10 writers, two graphic designers, two delivery drivers and an office manager.
