The Maine Press Association’s annual state conference, held October 18 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Portland, proved to be a night of outstanding achievement for The Calais Advertiser and its sister publication, the Machias Valley News Observer. The Calais Advertiser earned an impressive 21 awards, while the Machias Valley News Observer captured 26 honors – a remarkable combined total of 47 awards for Washington County’s only two weekly newspapers.

Publisher Pierre Little expressed his pride and gratitude for the recognition, commending the hard work and dedication of both editorial teams. Adding to the celebration, Little earned a first-place award in the Editorial category, a testament to his continued excellence in Maine journalism.

Among the many honors earned, Jayna Smith took home three first-place awards – for Best Local Ad with her work for Riverview Restaurant & Lounge, for News Headline with the clever “Oh, Nuts! Squirrel Sparks Power Outage in Greater-Calais Area,” and for Sports Headline with “Dragons Blaze Through Week with Three Wins.” 

Smith earned numerous accolades across a range of categories, showcasing her versatility as both a reporter and storyteller. She captured second place rankings for Sports Photo, News Story, Analysis, and Features/Lifestyle Video for her coverage of the Halloween Parade. Smith also earned third-place awards for Sports Profile, Spot News Story, Business/Economics Story, and Community Columnist for her popular “What’s Up, Calais?” column. 

Graphic designer Cheryl Stabinski also earned top honors, winning first place for Sports Page Design and sharing the Editorial Page award with Publisher Pierre Little. Together, their achievements reflect the paper’s commitment to engaging design, strong local reporting, and a spirited sense of community storytelling.

Stabinski continued to demonstrate her design and editorial talents, securing second place for Specialty Page Design and for Campaign or Series. She also received third-place recognition for Community Engagement Idea. In addition, Stabinski shared third-place awards with Jayna Smith for Sports Page and Best Supplement Cover for the Downeast Basketball Review.

The staff was also recognized with a second place in Self-Promotion and a third in Best Sponsored Content, while former UMaine Machias faculty member Jon Reisman picked up second in the Opinion Columnist category for his weekly Freedom Studies column.

The Calais Advertiser, Calais’ oldest business, has been an integral part of the city since 1836. Publisher Pierre Little reflected on its legacy and the critical role local journalism plays in sustaining the community. “The Calais Advertiser and its editorial newsroom are vital to our community’s health and economic growth,” he said. “I want to thank our business community – our advertisers – for their continued support. Without them, we could not have covered so many important stories or won so many awards this year. Having reporters who focus on our part of the world beats social media hands down; it means we’re serious about our community’s vibrancy and its flourishing.”

Of the awards, Little said, “By some gracious irony, in the year of our Lord 2025 – when truth is trimmed to fit our phone screens and attention spans are measured in seconds – our little corner of Maine has once again been reminded that ink, when honestly used, still holds its power.”

Little also praised the continued efforts of his dedicated staff. “These awards are not won without teamwork and a commitment to telling the stories of our wonderful community in eastern Maine,” he said. “To my reporters and writers, and designers – to our team from admin staff to newsstand delivery people, this shows we still believe the printed word can illuminate and bind a community together – I offer my heartfelt thanks. They have proven once again, like the truth, it may be battered but is never beaten.