Quill brings home statewide press awards, Hess elected MPA secretary
Published 11:00 am Saturday, October 17, 2026
The West Plains Daily Quill earned top honors for feature writing and news photography, while Quill Publisher Abby Hess was elected to the Missouri Press Association Board of Directors during the organization’s 160th annual Convention and Trade Show in Columbia.
The convention, held Sept. 25 and 26, brought together newspaper publishers, editors and journalists from across the state to elect 2027 leadership and announce the winners of the 2026 Missouri Press Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.
Hess was elected to serve as the MPA board secretary for 2027. Bryan Jones, publisher and owner of the Morgan County Statesman in Versailles, was elected president. Jones, who officially takes office Jan. 1, succeeds outgoing past president Bryan Chester of the Columbia Missourian.
Joining Hess and Jones on the executive board for 2027 are First Vice President Mike Scott of NEMOnews Media Group, Second Vice President Hannah Spaar of The Odessan and Treasurer Sarah Gray of the Marshall Democrat-News. Ron Schott, publisher of the nearby Wright County Journal in Mtn. Grove, will also continue serving as a regional representative on the board of directors.
During the annual contest awards ceremony on Sept. 26, the Quill was recognized in Class 2 competition for outstanding journalism and photojournalism:
First place for Best News Photograph in the Class 2 division was awarded to Quill reporter Kimberly Langston for “Sharing Stories,” an image capturing student-athletes reading children’s books to a family during last year’s Reading Under the Lights event. Contest judges commended the photograph’s composition, lighting and clear storytelling focal point.
Freelancer Sam MacPherson, who spent a year writing feature articles for the Quill before pursuing further studies at Missouri State University in Springfield, was awarded second place in the Best Feature Story category. He was recognized for “Flightless Fighters: Local grad’s gaming triple play,” a story detailing area student Viv Iaclovev’s exceptional achievements. Judges praised the entry as “clean and engaging” with a compelling local focus.
Several other news organizations within the region were also recognized for editorial and photographic excellence at the state convention: The Ozark County Times (Gainesville) captured 15 awards, the Houston Herald (Houston) earned 10 awards, the Howell County News (Willow Springs) received seven awards and the Wright County Journal earned three awards, including a writing award won by MacPherson for his work with the publication. Howell County News Publisher Amanda Mendez was also recognized as the MPA’s inaugural Journalist of the Year.
The Missouri Press Association was founded in 1867 and represents daily and weekly newspapers across the state.
