The Houston Herald captured 13 statewide awards Saturday in the Missouri 2025 Better Newspaper Contest.
The announcement came Saturday in Wildwood, a suburb of St. Louis, during the 159th annual Missouri Press Convention and Trade Show. A panel of out-of-state judges reviewed the entries submitted in the Missouri Press Foundation contest.
The newspaper took home five first-place awards for work that was completed during 2024:
Best Humorous Columnist, Doug Davison; Best Sports Columnist, Davison; Best Special Section, which was a comprehensive city guide that featured Houston in a magazine publication; best online newspaper or website; and best sports photograph during a baseball game, Davison. The Herald expanded its digital news offerings in 2024, and this year introduced an application that is downloadable for any mobile platform.
“These awards reflect the hard work and creativity of our entire team,” said Isaiah Buse, owner/editor. “I’m proud of how we’ve continued to expand both our print and digital offerings to serve Houston and Texas County.”
The magazine project, overseen by publisher Isaiah Buse with many contributions from the Herald staff, was a collaboration with the City of Houston to highlight the town.
The newspaper won second place in the state for its multi-media reporting — a combination of reporting of a story both online and in print.
The Herald won seven third-place awards among papers in Missouri:
•Best breaking story for reporting of historic flooding that caused widespread damage in the county in November 2024. Water rescues occurred and there was major infrastructure damage. There was no loss of life.
•Best serious columnist, Davison.
•Best photography package, Davison and Jeff McNiell for work done at the annual Texas County Fair.
•Community service for the newspaper’s coverage throughout the year of plans to construct a new Houston branch of the Texas County Library. The $2.8 million project will open sometime this fall.
•Best story about education, Buse, for a feature that highlighted Houston educator Viki Narancich’s attendance at the statewide rollout of entertainer Dolly Parton’s reading program. Community Betterment and Arts Council of Houston rolled out the program at the Houston School District several years ago and it is now available across Missouri. Children receive a book in the mail monthly.
•Best information graphic, which showed the growth of population in Texas County after a U.S. Census Bureau report.
•Best headline writing, Davison, for a package of work that occurred in 2024.
“These recognitions are really about our community,” Buse said. “We’re honored to tell the stories of Houston and Texas County, and to showcase the people who make this place special.”
Great job Doug Davidson.