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March 23, 2026
WISCONSIN – The Business News (TBN) team made a standout debut at the 2025 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest, capturing 12 awards in its first year entering the statewide competition.
Among the honors received were four first-place wins and recognition across reporting, design and specialty coverage, capped by a second-place finish for General Excellence (Division C) – the contest’s highest honors for overall excellence.
Judges praised the team for raising the bar in business journalism, noting how the publication connects local business coverage to issues that matter to the broader community.
“Readers and citizens generally respond to local business journals with a resounding ho-hum, but you bring business reporting to a whole new level,” judges wrote. “Besides shining the spotlight on local businesses, you ably tie in business news with issues of importance to the community at large. Great writing skills and photography, engaging page layout and a strong focus on your business community.”
In addition to the General Excellence recognition, TBN earned awards in several individual categories, including Overall Page Design, General News Story, Business Coverage, Feature Story (profile) and Health Coverage.
Overall Page Design
Editor in Chief Heather Graves earned first place for Overall Page Design – an award that recognizes excellence in layout, visual impact, effective use of headlines and infographics, clarity of information and creativity.
Judges praised her clean, engaging layout – highlighting how its lack of clutter and strong visual flow guides readers through the content.
Completely self-taught, Graves has personally designed every page of TBN publications for several years.
TBN CEO and Publisher Megan Dickman-Renard said Graves’ first-place win in Overall Page Design showcases not only her sharp eye for design but also her creativity and dedication, proving that a self-taught talent can produce layouts that rival the best in the business.
General News Story
Graves also received first place for her story on Henning Cheese – a fourth-generation, Kiel-based cheese company that earned multiple first-place honors at the 2025 cheese contest.
Judges called it “a smart story to cover, one readers will gravitate to,” noting its compelling human angle and ability to create a sense of local pride while telling the history of a town icon and family business.
Staff Writer Matthew Day took home a second place in the category for his story on the Northeast Wisconsin paper industry.
Judges praised the story’s strong hook and clever reporting approach, noting the lede made them “unexpectedly… rooting for the local paper industry.”
Feature Story (profile)
TBN staff writers Rachel Kroeger and Rich Palzewic took home first and third place, respectively, in the contest’s Feature Story (profile) category.
Judges praised Kroeger’s story on Ziegler’s Winery as an excellent article, noting it followed a logical structure with smooth transitions that kept readers engaged.
“There was just enough detail to explain things adequately, without being too much inside baseball that would lose the average person who just likes wine, but doesn’t need to know every last thing about making it,” judges wrote. “I was left with an eagerness to go visit the winery myself.”
Judges said Palzewic’s piece on The Plant People was well constructed and of strong interest to the community.
“The writer does a nice job of providing sufficient background details and explaining the transition plans for the business in a fairly concise fashion,” judges wrote.
Health Coverage
Kroeger took home two awards – first and third – in the contest’s Health Coverage category.
Her story on Green Bay Doula’s 10th anniversary was described by judges as “excellent,” praising its strong writing and compelling topic.
Judges called Kroeger’s third-place-winning piece “well-structured, insightful and an important resource.”
Other highlights
Kroeger also received an honorable mention for Business Coverage and third place for Rookie Reporter of the Year, with judges noting her strong writing skills and keen sense for identifying compelling stories.
The Business News team also received third place for Best Special Section (editorial) – an award that recognizes editorial excellence in special sections covering a single theme.
Judges described TBN’s entry – The New Business Review – as “a grand collection of business entrepreneurial adventures revealed by those involved.”
Graves also earned an honorable mention in the Sports News Story category for her story on Mark Murphy, who concluded nearly two decades as president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers with a final team financials meeting.
‘Incredibly rewarding’
For the team at The Business News, the results made its first entry into the contest particularly exciting.
“To enter the contest for the first time and receive this level of recognition is incredibly rewarding for our newsroom,” the team said. “These awards reflect the passion our staff writers, editor, publisher, designer and support staff bring to telling the stories of the businesses, entrepreneurs and communities we serve.”
The accolades underscore The Business News’ ongoing commitment to delivering in-depth reporting on business, economic development and industry trends across Wisconsin.
“This is just the beginning,” the team said.
CEO and Publisher Megan Dickman-Renard called the awards “well-deserved recognition for all of the incredible work the team does.”
“The TBN team walked away with 12 awards this year – which is unbelievable to me for our first year of entering,” she said. “For us, each award represents an incredible story we were able to spotlight, an internal push to be better and our philosophy that if you lead with curiosity, amazing things will follow.”
With this dozen-award haul, every member of TBN’s editorial team is now award-winning, marking an extraordinary first showing in the statewide competition.
