Garvin County News Star staff Suzanne Mackey and Jennifer Lindsey are among journalists from across the state who were recognized Saturday for their work as the Oklahoma Press Association announced the winners of its 2025 Better Newspaper Contest.
The OPA presented its Better Newspaper Contest Awards during the OPA Annual Convention, June 5-6, at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Norman, Okla.
Competing in the division for weekly newspapers in communities with a population of 4,000-15,000, Mackey won second place in the business story category for an article on the Burford Corporation’s Community Open House last summer. Lindsey won third place for a game story about Wynnewood football moving on to the quarterfinals.
Also announced during the two-day convention were the recipients of the OPA H. Milt Phillips Award and the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation’s Beachy Musselman Award.
Receiving the H. Milt Phillips Award was David R. Stringer, former publisher of The Lawton Constitution. The OPA Board of Directors selects the recipient of the Milt Phillips Award.
Stringer served as publisher of The Lawton Constitution from 2019 to 2025 and then held the position of operations manager following the paper’s purchase by Hilliary Communications. He retired in April 2026.
A graduate of The University of Oklahoma with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism (1982, 1989), Stringer began his newspaper career in 1981 as a sports writer in Pauls Valley. He soon became editor and publisher of that newspaper before moving on to leadership roles at The Norman Transcript, where he served as president and division manager from 1997 to 2010. He also worked for newspapers in Arkansas, Missouri, California, New Mexico and Texas.
Stringer served as president of the Oklahoma Press Association in 2006 and continues his service to the industry as a member of the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation Board of Trustees.
Receiving the ONF Beachy Musselman Award was Andrea Eger, an investigative reporter at Oklahoma Watch.
Eger’s investigation into Epic Charter Schools – later described by state auditors as the largest misuse of taxpayer funds in Oklahoma history – stands as one of the most consequential education stories in the state in recent years.
In March 2026, Eger joined Oklahoma Watch, where she continues to focus on in-depth, public interest journalism.
Her investigations led to criminal charges against an athletic director and exposed cases involving child sexual predators. Her reporting has also prompted leadership changes in school districts and state agencies and contributed to the revocation of parole for a convicted murderer.
The recipient of the Musselman Award is selected by the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation Board of Trustees.
Sequoyah Award winners in the OPA Better Newspaper Contest also were announced at the OPA Convention. In the divisions for multi-day and online-only publications, winners were Stillwater News Press, El Reno Tribune and Tahlequah Daily Press. Sequoyah winners in the weekly divisions were the Midwest City Beacon, The Blanchard News, Marietta Monitor and Vian Tenkiller News. The Cameron University Collegian was the winner in the college news media division.
The Sequoyah Award, which is the highest honor in the Better Newspaper Contest, is determined by the number of points accumulated in eight of the contest’s categories: news content, layout & design, advertising, editorial writing, photography, sports coverage, sales promotion and community leadership. The eight divisions are based on publication frequency and city/town population.
Individuals were able to receive awards in 16 categories – news story, feature story, sports story, business story, education story, in-depth reporting, column writing, small space ad, large space ad, news photograph, feature photograph, sports photograph, photo essay/picture page, front page design, video journalism or marketing, and online project.
The contest also included a digital media category, awarded to the publication.
Members of the Georgia Press Association judged more than 1,300 entries from 69 Oklahoma news publications.
In addition to the eight Sequoyah Award winners, 176 first place plaques were presented during the awards banquet. News publications and individuals placing second and third in the contest received certificates.
A complete list of winners in the 2025 OPA Better Newspaper Contest is available on the OPA website at okpress.com/contest-winners-2025.
The Oklahoma Press Association’s Half Century Club inducted four new members: Sharon Maggard, editor of the Prague Times Herald; Mike and Sherrie McCormack, circulation staff at The Duncan Banner; and John D. Montgomery, publisher of The Purcell Register.
The Quarter Century Club also inducted two new members: Tom Fink, former reporter for the Claremore Daily Progress; and Linda Hicks, former publisher of the Lone Grove Ledger.
Awards were presented for the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting. The contest, administered by the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation, awarded a total of $15,000 in cash awards to reporters and news outlets in Oklahoma for content produced in 2025. It was judged by members of the Georgia Press Association. Awards were presented to:
- First Place: Nick Bowlin, The Frontier
- Second Place: Corey Jones, Tulsa World
- Third Place: J.C. Hallman, Oklahoma Watch
The A-Mark Foundation is dedicated to supporting and encouraging journalism and investigative reporting through grants to organizations that offer awards recognizing journalistic excellence.
Several additional awards were presented during the OPA Convention, including:
- The Norman Transcript received first place in the OPA Magazine Contest.
- Ray Lokey Memorial Award for Excellence in Reporting presented to Lynn Adams, Sequoyah County Times.
- ONF Joseph H. Edwards Outdoor Writer of the Year presented to Jake Sermersheim, Tahlequah Daily Press.
- Editorial Sweepstakes Award, sponsored by ONG, presented to Kim Poindexter, Tahlequah Daily Press.
- Column Sweepstakes Award, sponsored by ONG, presented to Justin Scrimshire, Okemah News Leader.
- Multi-Day & Online-Only Photo of the Year, sponsored by OGE Energy Corp., presented to Michael Swisher, Kingfisher Times & Free Press.
- Weekly Photo of the Year, sponsored by OGE Energy Corp., presented to Matt Swearengin, Durant Democrat.
- Public Notice Sweepstakes Award, sponsored by Oklahoma Press Service, presented to Mark Codner, The Newcastle Pacer.