By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The Sacramento Observer added the seventh John B. Russwurm Award to its storied history, scoring a resounding victory during the National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund’s Messenger Awards.
The Russwurm Award is presented to the top Black-owned newspaper in the country.
In all, the publication, established in 1962, took home 16 awards including Publisher of the Year.
Observer Publisher Larry Lee thanked his NNPA peers and his staff for the newspaper’s continued success.
“On a very humbling night during the NNPA Fund Messenger Awards, the Sacramento Observer won 16 awards including the Russwurm Award as the nation’s best Black newspaper,” Lee celebrated.
“I was also awarded Publisher of the Year. I cannot express how proud I am of our team,” he said.
The 2023 NNPA Fund Messenger Awards took place in Nashville, Tenn., during the NNPA’s annual convention.
Legendary Tennessee Tribune Publisher Rosetta Miller-Perry served as host and help guide members of the Black Press through Music City with a reception and tour of the National Museum of African American Music, and a taste of southern hospitality.
The annual awards help bolster a week of meetings, panel discussions, and other events that brings together more than 200 African American publishers and media company owners, their partners, and sponsors.
While the Observer took home the biggest awards haul, other multiple award winners included the Atlanta Voice, Houston Defender, Philadelphia Tribune, and the Washington Informer.
Below is a list of winners from the NNPA Fund Messenger Awards.
NNPA FUND MESSENGER AWARDS 2023
Category winners
Newsletter Excellence Award Michigan Chronicle
Newsletter Excellence Award New Pittsburg Courier
Newsletter Excellence Award The Philadelphia Tribune
Category winners
Layout & Design (Tabloid) – Robert L. Vann Award Houston Defender
Layout & Design (Tabloid) – Robert L. Vann Award The Observer Newspapers
Layout & Design (Tabloid) – Robert L. Vann Award Washington Informer
Category winners
Original Photography Use Award Atlanta Voice
Original Photography Use Award Birmingham Times
Original Photography Use Award St. Louis American
Category winners
Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle – Ada S. Franklin Award Houston Defender
Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle – Ada S. Franklin Award Michigan Chronicle
Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle – Ada S. Franklin Award The Observer Newspapers
Category winners
Health – Emory O. Jackson Award Atlanta Voice
Health – Emory O. Jackson Award The Observer Newspapers
Health – Emory O. Jackson Award Houston Defender
Category winners
Special Edition – Leon W. Washington Award Seattle Medium
Special Edition – Leon W. Washington Award The Philadelphia Tribune
Special Edition – Leon W. Washington Award The Observer Newspapers
Category winners
Faith & Religion Award The New York Amsterdam News
Faith & Religion Award The Philadelphia Tribune
Faith & Religion Award Wave Community Newspapers
Category winners
Education – Frank L. Stanley Award Birmingham Times
Education – Frank L. Stanley Award Houston Defender
Education – Frank L. Stanley Award Washington Informer
Category winners
Video Campaign Award Atlanta Voice
Video Campaign Award Texas Metro News
Video Campaign Award The Observer Newspapers
Category winners
Layout & Design (Broadsheet) – Robert L. Vann Award Afro American Newspaper (Baltimore)
Layout & Design (Broadsheet) – Robert L. Vann Award Michigan Chronicle
Layout & Design (Broadsheet) – Robert L. Vann Award The Philadelphia Tribune
Category winners
Community Engagement – W. A. Scott II Award Houston Defender
Community Engagement – W. A. Scott II Award St. Louis American
Community Engagement – W. A. Scott II Award The New York Amsterdam News
Category winners
Youth & Children Award Atlanta Voice
Youth & Children Award Houston Defender
Youth & Children Award New Tri-State Defender
Category winners
Social & Criminal Justice – Ida B. Wells Award Final Call
Social & Criminal Justice – Ida B. Wells Award St. Louis American
Social & Criminal Justice – Ida B. Wells Award The New York Amsterdam News
Category winners
Editorial & Opinion -Robert S. Abbott Award St. Louis American
Editorial & Opinion -Robert S. Abbott Award The Observer Newspapers
Editorial & Opinion -Robert S. Abbott Award The Philadelphia Tribune
Category winners
Community Service – Carl Murphy Award Washington Informer
Community Service – Carl Murphy Award The Observer Newspapers
Community Service – Carl Murphy Award The New York Amsterdam News
Category winners
Facebook Campaign Award Atlanta Voice
Facebook Campaign Award The New York Amsterdam News
Facebook Campaign Award The Observer Newspapers
Category winners
Instagram Campaign Award Houston Forward Times
Instagram Campaign Award New Pittsburg Courier
Instagram Campaign Award The Observer Newspapers
Category winners
Enviroment – Wilbert L Holloway The Observer Newspapers
Enviroment – Wilbert L Holloway The New York Amsterdam News
Enviroment – Wilbert L Holloway Washington Informer
Category winners
Sports – Don King Award Houston Defender
Sports – Don King Award New Pittsburg Courier
Sports – Don King Award Seattle Medium
Category winners
Entertainment – Armstrong Ellington Award The New York Amsterdam News
Entertainment – Armstrong Ellington Award The Observer Newspapers
Entertainment – Armstrong Ellington Award Wave Community Newspapers
Category winners
Newspaper Excellence – John H. Sengstacke Award Houston Defender
Newspaper Excellence – John H. Sengstacke Award Birmingham Times
Newspaper Excellence – John H. Sengstacke Award The Observer Newspapers
Category winners
Business Award Michigan Chronicle
Business Award The Observer Newspapers
Business Award Wave Community Newspapers
Category winners
Website Excellence – A.Philip Randolph Award The Observer Newspapers
Website Excellence – A.Philip Randolph Award Washington Informer
Website Excellence – A.Philip Randolph Award Houston Forward Times
Category winners
Original Advertising Campaign – E. Washington Rhodes Award Afro American Newspaper (Baltimore)
Original Advertising Campaign – E. Washington Rhodes Award Houston Defender
Original Advertising Campaign – E. Washington Rhodes Award The Philadelphia Tribune
Newspaper Excellence Award
New Pittsburgh Courier full editions – Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23
Voter outreach rally kicks off on King Day
Houston Defender Layout – Tabloid
The Sacramento Observer
8/25/2022 & 9/1/2022
Election Central: The People Have Spoken
Summerfest, food and fun
School Shooting
Black women & Alopecia by ReShonda Tate | Black Maternity Crisis by Aswad Walker
Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle
Lifestyle
The Faces of Atlanta Medical Center *series*
Our Birth Stories
No Way Out? Black male suicides by ReShonda Tate
Seattle Medium Juneteenth Edition
Black History Month: The making of Jackie Robinson (75th anniversary)
A Culture Of Care: Black Nurses Special Edition
Faith and Religion stories
Sharon Baptist Church: Celebrating 40 pastoral years together
Church at the Crossroads: Waning attendance stifling churches
Maranathan Academy Still Serves Critical Need
Black Families choosing homeschooling
Group Challenges Colleges to Better Accommodate Student Parents
REACTION: Herschel Walker vs Senator Raphael Warnock square off in only Debate
10 Year Aniversary
The Sacramento Observer
AFRO Layout & Design July 8 & 15, 2022
Layout & Design Broadsheet
Voter outreach rally kicks off on King Day
Houston Defender “State of Black Women” The Power of Our Vote
35th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Multi-Media Coverage:
Community Engagement
Dynamite Dance Factory epitomizes owner Kyri Hayes vision for youth dance
Gen Z & Voting: How young people could shape elections
Black Cosplayers are Creating Their Own World in the Cosplay Community
Hell on earth in Alabama
The Kevin Johnson story – In search of humanity
STOP THE BLOODSHED: Community demands, ‘Keep the bullets in the chamber’
Coming together as community in wake of tragedy
Reparations
Mayor: Lead or leave
Our House – Keeping Homes Black Owned in the DMV
The Sacramento Observer – Grand Jury
Blacklight Fact Checks
Ethnic Media Collaboration conversation w/ Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock
Beyond the Barrel of the Gun
The Sacramento Observer
Worth the Weight
New Pittsburgh Courier’s Instagram page keeps Black Pittsburgh informed
The Sacramento Observer
Heatwave
Climate goals, climate justice: Who gets left behind?
Many School Uniforms Contain Potentially Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’: Study
Sports: March 10 & 17 – Deion Sanders impact – Terrance Harris | Jodie B. Jiles
New Pittsburgh Courier sports sections, Sept. 21 and Sept. 28
The Grid – Seattle Medium Youth Football Coverage
Seun Kuti rocks Sony Hall
The Sacramento Observer
Local entertainment coverage
Houston Defender – Oct 13, 20, 27
General Excellence
The Sacramento Observer
Banking on Detroit’s African American Communities_Donald James
Black Women Businesses
‘Tyler Perry like’ studios to provide economic boom for L.A.
The Sacramento Observer
www.washingtoninformer.com
Digital Excellence
130th Anniversary Gala Advertising Campaign
Houston Defender SMART MARKETING EVENTS
Our Community. Our Health
