Piscataquis Observer places second in General Excellence at annual newspaper contest
The Piscataquis Observer finished in second place in the General Excellence – Print category for the Weekly 1 division — for publications with less than a 2,000 print circulation — from the Maine Press Association in the 2026 MPA Better Newspaper Contest, announced Oct. 17 during the organization’s annual conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Portland.
The General Excellence — Print honor is the first for the Piscataquis Observer since 2009, when the publication came in third.
This year’s first-place General Excellence – Print honoree is the Calais Advertiser and the Machias Valley News Observer finished in third place.
New this year, most other categories of the two weekly divisions were combined into one.
CLASS C CHAMPIONS! — Foxcroft Academy won the 2025 Class C field hockey championship with a 4-1 victory over Spruce Mountain in Lewiston, capping off a perfect 18-0 season with the program’s fifth gold ball. The Piscataquis Observer’s Stuart Hedstrom’s story on the contest earned him third-place honors in the Sports Game Story weekly category of the Maine Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The Piscataquis Observer also finished in second place in the General Excellence – Print category among the state’s smaller weekly publications.
The Piscataquis Observer’s Stuart Hedstrom earned third-place recognition in the Sports Game Story category for his article on Foxcroft Academy field hockey winning the Class C championship last November.
“Solid lead and build out, getting the decisive moments up top to the reader,” the contest judges wrote about the story.
In his two decades at the Piscataquis Observer, Hedstrom has won more than 60 Maine Press Association awards in over 30 different categories.
Journalists, editors and advertising representatives from out of state publications judged contest entries from weekly and daily newspapers throughout the state. A complete list of 2026 award winners is posted on the MPA’s website at www.mainepressassociation.org.