The Florida Press Association has announced the nominees for its 2025 Best Weekly Newspaper Contest, and the Osceola News-Gazette is well represented.
Your local paper received 11 nominations for awards in reporting, column writing, photography, website excellence.
The awards are for work done in 2024. The FPA will announce its first, second and third-place awards during the 2025 Florida Media Conference held August 1 in Port Charlotte.
The News-Gazette competes in FPA’s Division A among weekly/ bi-weekly papers with circulations above 15,000. Its editorial staff was nominated for its Website, AroundOsceola.com.
Among the individual nominations: Photographer Taylor McFee is nominated for three awards: two in Sports Photo and a Photo Series in One Issue from the Fourth of July. The Sports Section, written by J. Daniel Pearson, edited by Ken Jackson and produced by Angelique Priore, is nominated. Robert Pincus’ feature on the pro basketball career journey of Osceola Magic star point guard Mac McClung is nominated for Sports Feature.
Among the five nominations for Editor Ken Jackson is a nod for the Sally Latham Memorial Award, given to the serious column judged as the FPA’s best. Other nominations include in Hurricane Feature on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Charley, Best Obituary for a tribute to a former Osceola High School prom queen and popular athletic trainer, Breaking News for the story on the Kissimmee Police Department chief’s resignation, and in Sports Column for a home-spun look at Osceola High’s regional final football playoff game against state power Armwood.
“The 11 nominations are the most in my four years here as editor,” Jackson said. “It’s a reminder that our work reporting on and delivering community news is considered among the best in the state. That we’re nominated in 10 categories, of the 15 we entered in, shows the versatility currently on our staff. We hope to bring back some first-place trophies from Port Charlotte!”
