Acton Bridge wins 12 new NENPA awards across 11 categories
The newest prizes bring the number of awards the newspaper has earned in the past year to 14.
Acton’s young non-profit community newspaper made a powerful showing at the 2025 New England Newspaper & Press Association Better Newspaper Competition awards last weekend, bringing home a dozen honors for its print and digital journalism, photography, and outreach to contributors.
Bridge CEO Maile Hulihan said the wide-ranging awards “show our excellent progress toward presenting the best-in-class community newspaper envisioned by the board.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of the talented, dedicated team we’ve assembled,” said Editor-in-Chief Celeste Katz Marston. “I am thrilled to see their hard work recognized as The Bridge continues to shine a light on Acton’s unique triumphs and challenges.”
The newspaper garnered top honors in six NENPA categories:
- The staff won gold for its “Milestone 250 Live” multimedia coverage of Acton’s celebration of the semiquincentennial of the start of the American Revolution.
- Longtime Bridge writer Laurie O’Neill took first place in history reporting for her in-depth piece on Daniel Chester French’s iconic “Minute Man” statue. “The lead made me want to keep reading, and the rest of the story did not disappoint,” a competition judge wrote.
- Managing Editor Rob Reinalda captured first place in headline writing for “A patriot’s day,” a headline topping a first-person account of a visit with the Acton Minute Men. Reinalda also won second place for his “One if by lamb, two if by seafood” wordplay on a piece about food trucks at the 250th.
- Photographer Ken McGagh’s dramatic image of Revolutionary War reenactors firing a musket volley took first place for general news photo. “The variety of expressions, combined with the explosive moment of the musket fire, makes this an all-around fun and engaging image,” wrote the judges. “The exposure is well handled, allowing all of those elements to come through clearly.”
- McGagh’s “On Walden Pond,” a serene silhouette of a boy at one of Acton’s most beloved sites, won in the pictorial category. “This photograph captures the mood and character of the landscape with clarity and restraint. The composition and tonal balance invite quiet reflection, with the setting firmly at the center of the image. A strong example of pictorial storytelling,” ruled the judges.
- The Bridge’s staff and board garnered the top prize for its enterprising, broad-based fundraising strategy.
Municipal Reporter Dakota Antelman earned second-place honors in the local election coverage category for his insightful tracking of Acton’s 2025 town campaign.
“Acton residents are fortunate to have a quality reporter such as Dakota Antelman covering their town. He did a superb job handling an extraordinarily contentious local election where even The Acton Bridge itself was dragged in by a candidate as an issue,” the judges wrote in comments provided by NENPA on March 23.
“Antelman brought clarity to all the issues that voters needed to consider before casting ballots. Also adding to the coverage was the excellent Election Day photography of Ken McGagh.”
He also took home the third-place prize for his unflinching investigation of conditions at Acton’s state emergency shelter.
“Persistent news reporting here, nice job and we need more of that. Also forced change — points for that. Stories that prompt action define the best of investigative, so for that, recognition,” the judges said.
Columnist Wilson Kerr won a second-place award for “Time Outdoors,” his exploration of the environment through a local lens.
“Wilson Kerr’s columns are enjoyable for their vivid, sensory immersion in nature and local history, blending personal memory with clear-eyed advocacy for land, farms and outdoor time,” the judges wrote. “He turns ordinary mornings and family farms into celebrations of place and resilience, using crisp details to make the outdoors feel alive and urgent.”
Correspondent Margaret Carroll-Bergman’s poignant feature on a beloved letter carrier’s retirement garnered third place in the “Good News” category. “The warmth of this community and its appreciation really come through,” said the judges. “A delightful read.”
McGagh’s stirring images of Patriots Day 2025 earned third-place honors for photo series.
The Better Newspaper Competition is New England’s largest journalism recognition program, “highlighting the vital role local news plays in our communities” and the people who produce it.
The staff of The Bridge, which primarily garnered awards in the weekly newspaper category, accepted the honors last Saturday at NENPA’s awards gala in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The newest prizes bring the number of awards the newspaper has earned in the past year to 14.
Last fall, The Bridge’s print and digital coverage of Acton 250 won a prestigious NENPA “Publick Occurrences” award, and Hulihan became the second-ever recipient of the Cornerstone Award, which celebrates those who work behind the scenes to help their publications thrive.
March 23, 2026: This story has been updated.
