ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists honored the state’s top journalists Tuesday during its annual Page One Awards ceremony, recognizing excellence in reporting, photography, commentary and investigative journalism across Minnesota news organizations.
Among the top individual honors, Reid Forgrave of the Minnesota Star Tribune was named Journalist of the Year, while Madison McVan of the Minnesota Reformer received Young Journalist of the Year honors. Anshu Patel of the Minnesota Daily was named Student Journalist of the Year.
The organization also presented its prestigious Peter S. Popovich Award to Georgia Fort for her advocacy of press freedom. A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Joe Spear, who retired after more than four decades in journalism.
The Minnesota Star Tribune dominated many of the statewide categories, earning awards for breaking news, feature writing, enterprise reporting, government coverage, business journalism and photography. The newspaper also captured first place for Best Website.
Northeastern Minnesota journalists were also recognized. John Ramos of the Duluth Monitor won first place in Environment News Reporting for his story on efforts to address erosion on Park Point and placed second in Feature Reporting for his article about a Normanna Township arson case.
Other Northland winners included Jay Gabler, who won first place in the Columns category for smaller newsrooms, and Jerry Burnes, who earned first place in Business News Reporting for coverage of the proposed U.S. Steel sale and its impact on the Iron Range.
The awards, judged by journalists from outside Minnesota, recognize outstanding work published during 2025. The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists, founded in 1956, advocates for press freedom, journalism ethics and professional development throughout the state.
