The Wise County Messenger was named the top newspaper in its category at the North and East Texas Press Association’s annual convention last weekend in Pilot Point, taking home Sweepstakes with 10 first-place awards in the journalism contest.
Competing in the large weekly division, the Messenger took this year’s Sweepstakes crown with a combined 1,250 points — the most of any of the four divisions. The award is given to the newspaper that accumulates the most points across a variety of categories. The Pilot Point Post-Signal finished second with 875 points, followed by the Rockwall Herald-Banner (475) and Hood County News (450).
The Messenger’s first place awards include: general excellence, column writing, feature photo, feature story, headline writing, news writing, news photo and sports coverage, as well as Sports Photographer of the Year and the NETPA Community Service Award — two contests that span all divisions, from large dailies to small weeklies. This year’s contest was judged by the Texas Gulf Coast Press Association.
Messenger editor Austin Jackson placed first in news writing, column writing, headline writing and feature photo.
“Amazing,” the judge said of the Messenger’s column entries on regional water efforts and Bridgeport’s water quality turnaround. “Wonderful coverage, clearly and concisely written about water improvement.”
Jackson’s story on criminal interdiction (“Highway hunt”) and Messenger special projects manager Brian Knox’s feature on Decatur ISD superintendent Taylor Williams (“Full circle”) helped the Messenger take first in feature writing.
“Full circle: The writing is very atmospheric, which I would say is rare in a newspaper. It’s very enjoyable. Very strong writing and a good subject,” the judge said. “Highway Hunt: Once again, atmospheric. It feels like I’m reading a book. It brings what could have been a bland story off the page. Very creative and engaging, while educational and informative. Such strong writing skills that I admire. The readers of the Wise County Messenger are very lucky.”
Fresh of winning NETPA Photographer of the Year in 2025, Messenger assistant editor Brendan Marchand finished third in News Photographer of the Year across all divisions.
Knox and Marchand took first in news photo for their on-scene coverage of a wreck and a house fire.
“Great photos: I love showing not only the fire, but the firefighters in action,” the judges said of Marchand’s photo before complimenting Knox’s work. “The raw emotion in the wreck photo says it all.”
Jackson and Marchand also teamed up to place third in editorials.
Marchand took second in sports photo and third in sports writing.
Messenger sports editor Micah McCartney was named NETPA’s Sports Photographer of the Year, beating competitors across all divisions with action and celebration shots that spanned swimming, Bridgeport’s state championship golf victory, a local track phenom, baseball, volleyball and football.
McCartney, Marchand and Jackson placed first in sports coverage — which included reporting on multiple Wise County state championships.
“… Great coverage of a lot of sports,” the judge said.
For the second year in a row, Jackson, advertising manager Lori White and page designer Hannah King were recognized with the Community Service Award.
The Messenger was honored for its collaboration with the Decatur Economic Development Corp. and area journalism students, who produced a special print section and social media video highlighting the EDC’s Manufacturing Day event and the local manufacturing industry.
“It’s hard to distinguish what is community service when most of what a newspaper does is community service, but Manufacturing Day is above and beyond the norm,” the judge wrote. “What a great experience for journalism students. What a great experience for Decatur/Wise County manufacturers. What a great contribution to the community at large. This is truly community service that exceeds the week-to-week service provided by newspapers. It’s difficult, time-consuming and costly to take on a project of this scope that not only benefits aspiring journalists, but also benefits manufacturers (future employees) as well as the community (keeping bright minds at home).”
King, McCartney and Jackson also placed second in page design.
The Messenger staff placed first in general excellence and collaborated for third in special section for the Messenger’s magazine detailing the restoration of the Wise County Courthouse.
The NETPA annual convention was held April 9–11 in Pilot Point. A full list of this year’s winners is available online here: 2026 NETPA Winners Circle
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