Winners of the 2023 Better Newspaper Competition, sponsored by the New England Newspaper and Press Association, were announced at a gala dinner March 23 in Waltham, Mass.
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Mainebiz and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Maine business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Mainebiz Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Mainebiz took home four awards from a six-state competition of news media.
Winners of the 2023 Better Newspaper Competition, sponsored by the New England Newspaper and Press Association, were announced at a gala dinner March 23 in Waltham, Mass.
Mainebiz Art Director Matt Selva won three awards, including two for an artificial intelligence-aided illustration inspired by Jimmy Stewart’s character in Frank Capra’s 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The illustration was part of an April 3, 2023, cover story about turmoil in the banking sector.
Most of the core image was created with Midjourney, and the Jimmy Stewart likeness was generated on top of the Midjourney image by Dreamstudio.ai, according to Selva.
Those images were further modified in Photoshop to make the final photo illustration.
For the cover design, Selva took home second place for Illustration/Infographics, Specialty Publications, and third place for Front Page, Specialty Publications.
Selva also received a second place award for Overall Design and Presentation of a Specialty Publication for the Next Up: 40 Under 40 edition of Mainebiz published in October 2022.
“Matt has taken the initiative to learn many A.I. capabilities, resulting in the amazing Jimmy Stewart cover,” said Mainebiz Publisher Andrea Tetzlaff. “It was nice to see NENPA recognize his hard work and creativity.”
‘Forces of Nature’ wins editorial prize
Senior Writer Renee Cordes won second place for Racial, Ethnic or Gender Issue Coverage, Specialty Publication, for “Forces of Nature,” her cover story about female farmers in Maine published May 29, 2023.
Last year, Cordes won first place in the same category for “Fighting for Equity,” her cover story about female entrepreneurs in Maine beating the odds to raise capital.
“Renee is a constant advocate for DE&I coverage in our publication, and her ‘Forces of Nature’ article highlights the often untold story of women and immigrant farmers around Maine,” Tetzlaff said.
“We are extremely proud of the recognition by NENPA,” she added. “Matt and Renee are very talented, and these awards are a testament to their hard work and excellence.”
The Worcester (Mass.) Business Journal, a sister publication of Mainebiz also owned by New England Business Media, won eight NENPA awards.