Congratulations to The Paper - 25 NCPA Awards!
Representing The Paper at the NCPA Annual Convention were (l-r) Bill Poteat, Devan Berry, Angela Kuper Copeland, Allen VanNoppen.
The Paper cleans up at NCPA Annual Convention
Sep 27, 2025
The Paper and its staff received 25 awards from the North Carolina Press Association during the organization’s 152nd annual convention held last weekend in Raleigh.
The awards showcased all facets of The Paper’s coverage and engagement with Burke County, and included news, editorial, sports, photography, community coverage, special sections, and, importantly, the coveted General Excellence Award and the Advertising Sweepstakes Award.
The General Excellence prize is awarded annually to the best newspaper in its division. Judging is based on the following criteria: mechanical excellence, general and departmental news coverage, literacy excellence, promotion of community interests, graphics, appearance and design, editorial vigor, use of photographs, and advertising enterprise.
Appearance and design criteria includes attractiveness and consistency of layout, typography, use of photos, effective headlines and overall impact of the newspaper’s appearance.
The Paper also won the General Excellence Award in 2024.
“The Paper’s strong showing in the annual NCPA contest — from winning overall general excellence and the advertising sweepstakes to 22 reporting and advertising awards — underscores its dedication to serving the community at the very highest level. Congratulations to the entire team at The Paper,” said Phil Lucey, NCPA executive director.
On hand for the ceremonies were Allen VanNoppen, publisher; Bill Poteat, editor emeritus; Angela Copeland, editor; and Devan Berry, advertising design and account executive.
VanNoppen was elected to the NCPA board of directors during the convention.
NCPA’s contest continues to be one of the largest in the country. This year, there were over 4,000 entries from 125 newspapers and news organizations. Nebraska Press Association members judged the contest.
Judges specifically pointed out several of The Paper’s entries, including its special section of Hurricane Helene coverage. That entry won first place.
“In the many entries in this category about the hurricane, The Paper’s work rose to the top,” judges said. “There is so much information covered in the section, incredibly clear and understandable is impressive, especially given that it was published just three days after the storm. The staff of The Paper should be commended for this feat of community journalism which will no doubt become a part of the community’s historical record.”
Poteat garnered comments from judges for his second-place columns on Bruce Hawkins, Burke County Voting, and Job Loss Left Me Devastated.
Of the Job Loss piece, judges said, “This columnist displays such descriptive writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I love the Scorpion column: ‘the nest of blood-sucking scorpions.’ Great job in sharing how this experience altered your life. It humanizes you in a profound way.”
The Paper’s Assistant Sports Editor Josh McKinney won third place for his column on former NFL player Tyler Shatley. Judges said, “Extremely competitive category of writing. This writer did a great job of profiling a pro player calling it quits. It certainly shows there is life after being a professional ball player, which I’m sure is tough for many athletes to understand.”
Berry’s first-place advertising entry, an ad for Nest Realty, earned this comment from judges: “Bright, smiling faces make this an eye-catching ad. Very good overall design, and definitely would stand out on any newspaper page.”
The Paper’s Municipal Reporter, Madison Lipe, also won a third-place award for her work as a reporter for the Wilmington Star-News.
The roster of awards received at the convention were:
First-place winners:
Devan Berry, Advertising (three separate awards — Humor, Real Estate, Service Ad)
Sandra Wilkerson Queen, Arts & Entertainment Reporting (Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
Angela Kuper Copeland and Marty Queen, Investigative Reporting (Housing Crisis)
Allen VanNoppen, Lighter Columns (Parking Lot Guy, Birdmageddon, Sad Saga of the Lima Bean)
Bill Poteat, Profile Feature (Tommy Sain — Community Fixture)
Marty Queen, Serious Columns (Answering the Call, Farewell Curtis Creek, Confronting the Past)
The Paper Staff, General News Reporting (Hurricane Helene coverage)
The Paper Staff, Special Section (Hurricane Helene)
Second-place winners:
Devan Berry, Advertising (Retail Ad)
Paul Schenkel, Sports Column (PS NCPA)
Bill Poteat, Serious Columns (Bruce Hawkins, Job Loss Left Me Devastated, Burke County Voting)
Angela Kuper Copeland, Editorials (Missed Opportunity, Hidden Costs in Legislative Catch-alls, Time to Move On)
Allen VanNoppen, City, County Government Reporting (Valdese Council Bypass Open Meetings Laws)
Third-place winners:
Devan Berry, Online Advertising (Woofstock)
Marty Queen, News Feature Writing (Bridgewater Damn Back in Business)
Paul Schenkel, Sports News Writing (Draughn, EB, Patton back together as realignment wraps up)
Josh McKinney, Sports Feature Writing (It’s Not What Defines Me)
Lisa Price, Photo Page or Essay (Painting the Town)
Madison Lipe, (Why Wilmington-area Gen Z students are increasingly drawn to careers in trades.) This entry was during her tenure of her previous employer, the Wilmington StarNews
Marty Queen, City, County Government Reporting (Interbasin Water Basin Water Grab)
“These awards reflect a team of talented, curious, and fiercely committed people with a shared mission: to inform, inspire, and serve the community,” Copeland said. “It’s rewarding for the judges to acknowledge the care we put into every story, ad, and layout.”
