The Maine Monitor’s journalism was celebrated this weekend at the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s annual spring convention, with six reporting projects recognized at the Saturday awards ceremony.
Monitor Local editor Judith Meyer was honored at the convention by the Academy of New England Journalists with its Yankee Quill Award for her “extraordinary, decades-long commitment to excellence in reporting, newsroom leadership, and unwavering defense of the First Amendment.”
Meyer has spent more than three decades leading newsrooms with “integrity and courage,” the Academy of New England Journalists noted, “producing award-winning investigative journalism that has exposed government failures, strengthened communities, and held the powerful accountable.”
Before joining The Monitor in October 2025 as the editor of the Monitor Local initiative, Meyer was editor of the Sun Journal, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel newspapers.
“A fierce advocate for public access, she has shaped right-to-know laws, championed open courts, and founded and led key transparency organizations, becoming one of Maine’s most trusted authorities on freedom of information,” the Academy’s statement read.
“Just as importantly, she has mentored generations of journalists, inspired colleagues across New England, and consistently demonstrated that rigorous, ethical journalism is essential to democracy,” the statement continued. “Her lasting impact on both the craft and the cause of journalism makes her eminently deserving of this honor.”
Monitor reporting recognized
Journalists from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island vie for awards in the NENPA contest. The Monitor competed alongside digital newsrooms such as CT Mirror, VTDigger, MassLive and Granite State News Collaborative.
The Monitor received a first place award for its newsroom-wide coverage of the 2024 elections, which included coverage of county government positions appearing on ballots. Judges were also impressed with several Monitor stories on the elections and the election process, including a piece about the third of Maine towns that still count ballots by hand, a feature on the local officials making sure Mainers get to vote, and another on the quarter of Maine House races that had only one major-party candidate in 2024.
Education and Workforce Development Reporter Kristian Moravec earned two NENPA awards, including second place for her in-depth reporting on the more than 40 towns that have withdrawn from their school districts as well as second place for her analysis of a rural workforce boom driven by heat pumps.
Government Accountability Reporter Josh Keefe was recognized with a second place accolade for his reporting on how seven wealthy summer residents halted workforce housing development on Mount Desert Island in 2024.
The Monitor earned a third place accolade in a category that applauds excellence in collaboration and partnership with other news organizations for its multi-part examination of how Maine counties are spending federal funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, better known as ARPA. The Monitor first partnered with the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University to analyze U.S. Treasury Department data before working with the Bangor Daily News, The Quoddy Tides and Saco Bay News to produce stories on local spending that complemented The Monitor’s own local and statewide reporting on ARPA funds.
Monitor Freelance contributor Benjamin Cassidy also received a first place award for his story on how rumble strips are saving lives — and money — on rural Maine roads.
