Three First-Place Awards to Moonshine, Other Recognition Received in Annual Newspaper Contest

by | Aug 14, 2025 | Uncategorized

While the world spins madly on and things are never particularly quiet in the Truckee/Tahoe area (let alone the United States as a whole), we at Moonshine have happy news to share. For the 13th year in a row, our free and independent newspaper took home notable awards from the National Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

This is an annual competition where we submit what we think represents the best of the best of the Ink. The following pieces received recognition from judges who thought mighty high of our work done in 2024:

First place: Story-Series – Best Localized National Story: Election Healing: Reflecting on Contention in Recent Local Races by Alex Hoeft

Judge’s comments: The balanced, well-organized, and clearly written article offers a path forward to other communities who may be struggling to recapture cooperative governance.

First place: Story-Series – Best Business Story: One and Done by Melissa Siig

DOG IS HER COPILOT: Eve Quesnel is one of a group of eight volunteers who call themselves the “Subaru squad.” Each week, they make the rounds to local supermarkets to collect bread leftovers that are donated to Sierra Community House. Quesnel is often accompanied by her Border Collie, Kate, who sometimes finds herself buried in loaves of bread.

First place: Story-Series – Best Non-Profile Feature Story: The Subaru Bread Run by Eve Quesnel

Judge’s comments: This is the kind of story that newspapers find — that they tell — that are lived in their communities. Well-written. Amazing photo. Total package!

ENGLISH DOES IT AGAIN: Moonshine cartoonist Mike English was the talent behind the cover of the October 2024 edition, which included plenty of local election coverage. The front-page design took second place in the 2025 Better Newspaper Contest. Illustration by Mike English/Moonshine Ink

Second place: Best Front-Page Design: October 2024’s election illustration by Mike English

Second place: Best Reporting on Local Government: Town Planning In the Hot Seat by Alex Hoeft

Judge’s comments: The number of on-the-record comments about the powers that be is remarkable. Great job telling it like it is.

Second place: Editorial – Best Editorial: One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Trash by Heather Solomon

Judge’s comments: Some things just need saying. This succinct, straight-to-the-point rant is one of them.

Second place: Story-Series – Best Profile Feature Story: The Mushroom Man by Priya Hutner

Third place: Story-Series – Best Localized National Story: Bully in the Legislature by Mayumi Peacock

Third place: Editorial – Best Original Editorial Cartoon: The Truckee Way by Mike English

Third place: Story-Series – Best Profile Feature Story: Surviving the Unimaginable by Tiffany Connolly

Honorable mention: Editorial – Best Editorial: A Teen’s Perspective on the World by Kaya Siig

Honorable mention: Story-Series – Preserving Local History: The Woman Who Spotted the Wildfire by David Fenimore.