“I am a journalist, so the idea of supporting media, and especially local media, is close to my heart. I appreciate the fact that local media are present in Polish-American Freedom Foundation’s programs and inform about changes that take place in small communities,” Andrew Nagorski said when he was presenting the Gazeta Jarocińska editorial staff with the Newspaper of the Year 2015 award.

Bolesław Wierzbiański award honors editorial staff of independent newspapers and magazines that are published in villages and towns of up to 100,000 residents, deal with important subjects related to social life and development of local communities, and thus contribute to civil society building. Under the competition rules and regulations, the Newspaper of the Year award is presented to the editorial staff of that newspaper or magazine whose journalists won the biggest number of nominations and awards. The same title can’t win the award more often than once in three years.

The this year’s round of the competition received 360 works. The Competition Committee chaired by Mariusz Szczygieł decided to award:

• In the “Investigative Journalism and Journalistic Intervention” category: Paweł Pełka, Tygodnik Podhalański, for his “The director’s shelter”;

• In the “Specialist Journalism” category: Antoni Gąssowski, Nowiny Jeleniogórskie, for his “The forest cuts down Polish businessmen”,

• In the “Feature Article” category: Rafał Gratkowski, Tygodnik Podhalański, for his “Hit a parish priest with a penny”,

• In the “Interview and other press genres”: Renata Pławecka, Echo, for her “Water dries. The Jew stays in place”,

• In the “Photo and Photo Coverage” category – ex aeguo: Ramona Wieczorek, Czas Chojnic, for “Disabled Maciek and his pets” and Bartłomiej Jurecki, Tygodnik Podhalański, for „Rapa das Bestas”,

• In the “Video” category: Przemysław Niewiada, Jarocińska.pl portal, for “Bears”,

• In the “Best Journalistic Volunteering or Intervention Action” category: Tygodnik Przełom.

The Local Press Association Special Award went to Press monthly on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. The Museum of Warsaw Uprising presented its Special Award to Łukasz Dulowski, Tygodnik Przełom, for “I feel Johnny who is as he is”.

The founders and partners of the LPA Local Press Awards are: The Polish-American Freedom Foundation (as part of its “Pro Publico Bono” Competition), Nikon, the Museum of Warsaw Uprising, the Polish Chamber of Press Publishers, the Repropol Association of Press Publishers and the Bukovina Hotel.

See the video report of the LPA Local Press 2015 Gala at: http://gazetylokalne.pl/laureaci-sgl-local-press-2015/