Statewide honors — NLJ earns several awards at Wyoming Press Association convention
Photo courtesy of Laura Mengelkamp Bob Bonnar, News Letter Journal publisher, with staff photographer Walter Sprague, managing editor Kim Dean, reporter Mary Stroka, and graphic designer Amy Menerey, hold the major awards received at the Wyoming Press Association convention on Jan. 17. Also attending and celebrating with the NLJ staff is 6-year-old Jerome Payne, Mary’s oldest son.
The News Letter Journal brought home several of the Wyoming Press Association’s highest honors, along with multiple Pacemaker awards, during the association’s annual winter convention held Jan. 15–18 in Casper.
The awards recognized work completed in 2025 and placed the News Letter Journal among the state’s top newspapers across journalism, design, photography and public service categories.
Among the major awards, the News Letter Journal received first place in its division for Typographic Excellence — for the second year in a row — and second for Photo Excellence and the Wyoming Press Association Foundation’s Sweepstakes Award.
Amy Menerey, lead graphic designer for the News Letter Journal, said she was particularly pleased with receiving the Typographic Excellence award for a second year. NLJ Publisher Bob Bonnar said he was happy to see Menerey’s redesign work be recognized.
“She completely redesigned the newspaper last year, from cover to cover, and that is a pretty monumental task. I was glad to see her be recognized for the excellent work she did. Our newspaper really pops!” Bonnar said.
The Foundation Sweepstakes award is presented to the newspapers earning the most Pacemaker awards in a single year. The News Letter Journal received 22 Pacemakers in 2025, finishing just one award behind first-place winner Star Valley Independent, which earned 23.
“I was really pleased because we actually moved up a division this year. We have been in the small newspaper division for my entire career, but were moved up into the midsize division this year because our circulation is similar to that in many larger communities. To win this many awards against Laramie, Lander, Evanston and Green River is pretty impressive, and I’m proud of our staff,” Bonnar said.
In addition, Walter Sprague was named Photographer of the Year in the Hanway Division, one of the Wyoming Press Association’s top individual honors. Sprague has been recognized two previous years with this honor in 2022 and 2023.
“Walter has become a true craftsman, and I continue to be surprised by his growth as a photographer every year. He studies his craft, and is learning to perfect it, and I have a lot of respect and appreciation for what he does,” Bonnar said.
In addition to the major awards, the News Letter Journal earned several Pacemaker awards, which recognize first-place work in individual categories.
The newspaper took first place in Outdoors–Environmental Reporting for “City water” by Alexis Barker, with judges noting the strong command of AP style, thorough reporting and clear explanations of complex water infrastructure issues.
First place in Agriculture Reporting went to “Ewe, Fair, FFA” by Josie Smith, while Menerey earned first-place Pacemakers for Front Page Design and Use of Graphic Elements for her work on the News Letter Journal and “Fair results.”
Walter Sprague also received a first-place Pacemaker for Spot News Photo with “Balancing act,” recognized by judges for its strong framing and visual impact.
Additional Pacemakers for second and third place recognized work by News Letter Journal staff across news, sports, business, advertising and photography categories, reflecting the paper’s broad coverage and commitment to community journalism. (See ad on Page B8)
The Wyoming Press Association convention brings together newspapers from across the state each winter to recognize excellence in journalism, advertising and design.