ILLINOIS — The Telegraph newspaper walked away with top honors at the 2025 Illinois Press Association’s Best of the Press Awards, making history with its most successful showing to date — including the coveted Patrick Coburn Award of Excellence.
The awards ceremony was held Thursday, June 5, at the Par-A-Dice Hotel in East Peoria. The Alton-based newsroom not only secured the top-performing newsroom title in its division but also earned a total of 14 additional honors across multiple categories.
Historic Night for The Telegraph
For the first time in over three decades of competing, The Telegraph dominated the event, taking home:
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Five First-Place Awards
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Two Second-Place Awards
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Five Third-Place Awards
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Two Fourth-Place Recognitions
These wins spanned across categories such as hard news photography, investigative features, obituary writing, government coverage, and freedom of information journalism.
First-Place Winners
Some of the standout wins for 2025 included:
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Spot News Photo: John Badman
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Obituary Tribute: Pete Hayes, for “Drew never met a stranger”
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Feature Writing: Erik Hall, for “Jacoby Arts Center battles uncertain future”
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Community Service: Erik Hall and Jill Moon, for Bethalto School Board coverage
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Freedom of Information Award: Erik Hall and Jill Moon
A Tradition of Excellence
Since 1991, The Telegraph has consistently competed at the IPA Awards. While it was shut out only twice (1996 and 2014), the paper has built a legacy of local reporting that matters. In 2022 and 2021, The Telegraph placed third for the Patrick Coburn Award before claiming the top prize this year.
Their consistent excellence has highlighted the strength of regional journalism, especially as it relates to:
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Government accountability
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Public service
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Deep-dive community features
Years of Recognition
Some recent highlights from past IPA awards:
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2024: First Place in Spot News Photo and General News Photo
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2023: First Place in Spot News Photo and strong placements in multiple visual categories
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2022: Multiple third-place awards including General Excellence and Feature Writing
Their work in the Daily Division and Division D continues to earn accolades across the board.
Leadership and Team Recognition
At the 2025 ceremony, key team members like Erik Hall, Jill Moon, Scott Cousins, and Joe Crawford were recognized for their collaborative efforts. A photo from the event shows the proud team holding plaques — a visible marker of the newsroom’s commitment to excellence.
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