Cozad is Kind Of a Big Deal
Cozad LOCAL Earns Statewide Honors
The Nebraska Press Association hosted its annual convention April 17–18, where the LOCAL had the honor of accepting awards.
But these don’t happen without you.
Every award is a reflection of this community. Because of you, we get to do this work. And because of you, we have something worth submitting and competing in Class A, based on circulation.
The Cozad LOCAL was simply one newspaper out of around 200, with more than 2,000 entries.
And Cozad showed up.
The LOCAL received four first-place awards. Leading the way was a first-place, all-division finish for the Harvest Section (Sept. 2025) in Specialty and Lifestyle. A project rooted entirely in community, Cozad families, Cozad businesses, Cozad stories. The cover photo was by Amanda Spradlin. Written by Krystle Rhoades and Liz Romero, laid out by Mark Lewis.
But the heart of it? That was Cozad.
"Purple Hearts Bleed Red” earned first place in In-Depth Writing, a story entrusted to Romero by a veteran willing to share it. This win is his.
Big E’s Merry Christmas ad took first in Small Ad Color (under ¼ page), designed by Romero but made possible by the businesses that continue to believe in what we do.
Cozad Kindness claimed first in Reader Interaction, because kindness here isn’t rare; it’s who we are. Cozad LOCAL just points it out.
Two second-place finishes followed.
Honoring Our Troops and Veterans, a section we pour everything into each year, remains one of the most meaningful pieces we produce. Highlighting the loved ones of our community.
Color of Patriots placed second in Newspaper Organized or Sponsored Event, another reminder that Cozad's participation drives all that we do.
Five third-place awards rounded out the recognition, spanning Advertising, Design, Circulation Growth, Use of Color for News, and Headline Writing.
And then came the Weekly Class Award, Sweepstakes, among all Division A Nebraska newspapers, the Cozad LOCAL placed third.
That one belongs to you. To our advertisers. To our subscribers. You keep the paper going. Plain and simple. Somewhere between writing stories, building pages, and chasing deadlines, it’s easy to forget to look up.
To see it. To realize what has been built.
Together.
NPA Judges’ Comments
All Divisions | Harvest Tab - “This is a very high-quality special section. Great, broad coverage with absolutely stunning photos. Clearly, this section took a lot of work from a very talented team. Well done.”
In-Depth Writing | “Purple Hearts Bleed Red” - “This is very, very good. The writer took extreme care in this sensitive story. Excellent narrative writing and thorough reporting of the soldier’s experience. Photo placement within the story was great for visualizing the brutality of the experience.”
Small Ad Color | Big E’s - “Small ad, great punch. Fun humor.”
Reader Interaction | Cozad Kindness - “What a wonderful idea as a way to spread kindness and share stories about your incredible town… hats off to your efforts.”
2nd Places | Color of Patriots -"This is fabulous to include. Love this!”
Saluting Our Veterans- “Great layout! This shows the sacrifice of so many on behalf of our country.”
3rd Place - Headline Writing | Purple Hearts Bleed Red - “Using the color to illustrate this headline was a great touch.”
Use of Color – Harvest Cover Page - “Great fall colors for vivid imagery to draw the reader into the section.”
Single Ad Color | Big E’s - “I love this!”
Advertising Campaign | Santa’s Scavenger Hunt - “Very clever.”
Building Circulation | Preserving the parts of Cozad you can’t find on Facebook - “Spot-on information… I hope your paper goes long into the future.”