OWENSVILLE — The Gasconade County Republican earned seven awards in the 2026 Better Newspaper Contest on Sept. 26, including two first-place honors and recognition for overall excellence, front-page design, photography and feature reporting.

Dave Marner received first place for Best Breaking News Story for “Dump Truck Kills One,” leading the newspaper’s individual honors. The award recognizes timely reporting on a major local news event.

Republican staff also earned first place for Best Newspaper in Education Project for “Dutchmill,” recognizing the paper’s work connecting journalism and education.

The newspaper received second place for General Excellence, one of the contest’s broadest honors, recognizing the overall quality of the publication. The staff also earned second place for Best Front Page, highlighting the newspaper’s presentation, news judgment and design.

Marner received an additional honor with third place for Best Photo Package for his coverage of the “Gritty Growler” paddler race.

Roxie Murphy earned third place for Best News or Feature Obituary for “Community continues to grieve,” while Elise Brochu received third place for Best Business Story for her coverage of Adam Puchta Winery.

Together, the seven awards reflect the variety of work produced by the Republican staff each week — from breaking news and community features to photography, education projects and newspaper design.

The General Excellence recognition also places the newspaper’s entire product among those honored in the contest, reflecting the combined work of reporters, photographers, editors and production staff.

The awards recognize both individual journalism and the larger role of a community newspaper: documenting major events when they happen, preserving local stories and producing a publication that keeps readers connected to the communities it serves.

The Republican’s 2026 awards include:

First place, Best Breaking News Story: Dave Marner — “Dump Truck Kills One”

First place, Best Newspaper in Education Project: Staff — “Dutchmill”

Second place, General Excellence: Staff

Second place, Best Front Page: Staff

Third place, Best Photo Package: Dave Marner — “‘Gritty Growler’ paddler race”

Third place, Best News or Feature Obituary: Roxie Murphy — “Community continues to grieve”

Third place, Best Business Story: Elise Brochu — “Adam Puchta Winery”

Additional honors for Warden Publishing staff

The Unterrified Democrat earned seven awards:

First place, Best Sports Photograph: Neal Johnson — “Hit on the Head”

First place, Best Health Story: Neal Johnson — “Kenna credits early detection, vigilance with surviving breast cancer”

First place, Best Sports Feature Photograph: Will Johnson — “State Championship”

Third place, Best Sports News Story or Package: Neal Johnson — “Robertson notches first career hit in MLB debut on Father’s Day”

Third place, Best Sports Feature Photograph: Neal Johnson — “Volleyball Celebration”

Third place, Best Military Story: Neal Johnson — “World War II veteran celebrates 100th birthday”

Third place, Best Photo Package: Jacob Warden — “Bull Ride”

The Maries County Advocate earned four awards:

First place, Best Sports Photograph: Will Johnson — “Play at the Plate”

Second place, Best Photo Package: Jacob Warden — “Belle Livestock Sale”

Second place, Best Story About History: Colin Willard — “HSMC’s ‘This & That’ album gives unidentified photos second chance”

Second place, Best Military Story: Edward Gehlert — “Young mechanic aims high in Army aviation career”