Whitefish Pilot collects 24 awards in statewide newspaper contest
A musk thistle by a field near Whitefish hosts a flying visitor. Badrock Canyon is visible in the distance. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
The Whitefish Pilot earned 24 awards in the Montana Newspaper Association’s 2025 Better Newspaper Contest for writing, photography and advertising.
The awards were judged by the North Dakota Newspaper Association and were presented June 21 in Butte. The Pilot competes against other weekly papers of similar size across Montana.
Pilot Editor Kelsey Evans received the Mark Henckel Outdoor Writing Award for a story about wildlife connectivity and wildlife crossings. Evans also received first for the best lifestyle feature, “Cairo to Cape Town the ride of a lifetime for Whitefish cyclist.”
https://whitefishpilot.com/news/2024/nov/27/cairo-to-cape-town-the-ride-of-a-lifetime-for-whitefish-biker/
Reporter Julie Engler’s “The Chairlift” won first place for column writing.
The Chairlift: Uphill travel | Whitefish Pilot
The Pilot won first-place for a sports page design that highlighted Lee Walburn and his experience at the U.S. track and field Olympic trials.
Regional Managing Editor Matt Baldwin made a video of the Whitefish Whiteout skimo race and published it to the Whitefish Pilot’s Facebook page, which added to the Pilot’s first-place accolades for digital content.
Whitefish Pilot Advertising Director Morgan Cawdrey led the Pilot to multiple awards for advertising and marketing campaigns on both print and digital platforms.
Hagadone Media Montana Regional Publisher Anton Kaufer was honored with the Master Editor/Publisher Award for his distinguished newspaper career.