Piscataquis Observer’s Hedstrom earns eight awards in annual newspaper contest

The Piscataquis Observer’s Stuart Hedstrom picked up a total of eight awards among the state’s smaller weekly publications division from the Maine Press Association in the 2025 MPA Better Newspaper Contest, announced on Oct. 18 during the organization’s annual conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Portland.

Hedstrom received first-place honors in the political story category for a story on a public meeting on the Mayo Mill  Dam in early February.

Another top honor came in the feature headline category with “SeDoMoCha students stick it to the principal”. This same headline was named the second place news headline honoree.

Piscataquis Observer sports pages from multiple issues last November, in the midst of fall high school playoffs, earned first-place recognition. 

Foxcroft Academy football’s victory over Winslow in the Class D North championship earned Hedstrom second place in the game story category.

Hedstrom earned second place for continuing story for a series of articles written on the Mayo Mill Dam.

He received third-place honors in two other categories. Outdoors story for the start of the campaign to purchase Big Moose Mountain, and environmental story for the efforts of the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church to become carbon neutral.

In his near two decades at the Piscataquis Observer, Hedstrom has now won more than 60 Maine Press Association awards in over 30 different categories.

Journalists, editors and advertising representatives from other out of state publications judged contest entries from weekly and daily newspapers throughout the state. A complete list of 2025 award winners is posted on the MPA’s website at www.mainepressassociation.org.