By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Citizen’s Advocate in Henning received five awards during the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest. The contest honored work that was completed between September 2023 through August 2024.

The Citizen’s Advocate competes in the division of weekly newspapers with a circulation up 1,000. 

The newspaper received first place in the category of Typography and Design, while picking up a second place finish in the category of Use of Photography as a Whole.

The Citizen’s Advocate also received three third place finishes including Editorial Page as a Whole, General Reporting and Sports Reporting. 

Publisher Chad Koenen also received a first place finish in the category of Business Profile for an article he wrote about NY Mills dentist Rachel Grieger and the shortage of dentists in rural Minnesota.

The NY Mils Dispatch, which is a sister publication to the Citizen’s Advocate, received four awards including Koenen’s first place story. 

The Dispatch received second place in the category of Typography and Design, second to just the Citizen’s Advocate, and reporter Tucker Henderson received second place in the category of best columnist and third place for an arts and entertainment story about the Art for Lunch program at the Cultural Center. 

The NY Mills Dispatch competes in the same division as the Citizen’s Advocate. 

The Frazee-Vergas Forum, which is also owned by Henning Publications, LLC, received third place in the category of General Reporting. The Forum competes in the division of weekly newspapers with a circulation between 1,001-1,500.