You 'herd' it here first: Mainebiz wins regional design awards for goat cover, 40 Under 40 section

Mainebiz 'Charms of the Farm' and '40 Under 40' covers

Mainebiz covers designed by Art Director Matt Selva Mainebiz Art Director Matt Selva received awards from the New England Newspaper & Press Association for his design work in these two issues.

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By Mainebiz Staff

Mainebiz Art Director Matt Selva took home two awards over the weekend in the 2024 New England Better Newspaper Competition for his graphic design work.

Winners were announced by the New England Newspaper & Press Association at a gala dinner Saturday evening in Portland, which capped a two-day conference.

NENPA, based in Woburn, Mass., is a professional trade association for print and digital news organizations in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont.

This year's contest attracted 1,966 entries, according to Linda Conway, executive director of NENPA.

Selva, a 2007 graduate of the Maine College of Art and Design, joined Mainebiz nearly 15 years ago.

He received second place awards in two categories.

For “Best Front Page — Weekly Newspaper,” Selva was recognized for his May 27, 2024, print cover, for “Charms of the Farm.”

The cover featured an oversized portrait of Maxine, a French Alpine dairy goat at Ten Apple Farm in Gray, photographed by Jim Neuger. The cover photo was for a story by Renee Cordes about agritourism.

"Eye catching fun photo," the judges said in their written remarks. "Good impact."

Selva also received a prize for his work on the “Next Up: 40 Under 40” issue published Oct. 2, 2023, for “Overall Design and Presentation of a Special Section.”

"Sharp cover design with clearly designed interior impact," the judges noted, calling the cutout photos "nice and elegant."

The issue includes photos by Tim Greenway, a longtime contributor to Mainebiz, and Soubanh Phanthay, a regular photographer at Mainebiz events.

"As with every issue of Mainebiz, we rely on a mix of experienced staffers and freelancers to create the content," said Editor Peter Van Allen. "Kudos to everyone involved for these awards."