The St. Louis American garnered four first-place awards and several other recognitions in the 2025 NNPA Messenger Awards competition.
The award winners were announced on Thursday June 29, 2025 during the NNPA national conference in Savannah, Georgia.
1st place for Layout and Design Broadsheet – Robert L. Vann Award
“August 22-28 edition featuring Jasmine Crockett, Democratic National Convention and local coverage.” Mike Terhaar, Art Director and Melvin Moore, Graphic Designer
1st place for Video Campaign Award
“37th Annual Salute to Education Recap” Salute To Excellence in Education videos honoring the following: Lifetime Achiever Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Video by Dawn Suggs), Stellar Performer Ellicia Lanier, SEMO Counselor of The Year Kimberly Merrell and Excellence in Education Awardees (Videos by James LeBine and Raven Whitener).
1st place for Original Advertising Campaign E. Washington Rhodes Award
“The Supporters Campaign”: Concept by Dawn Suggs, produced by Dawn Suggs, Donald Suggs, Apryl Pilolli and Raven Whitener; original photography by Taylor Marrie; online graphics produced by James LeBine and Dawn Suggs and newspaper graphics produced by Melvin Moore
1st place for Special Edition – Leon W. Washington Award
2024 Diversity Issue: St. Louis American staff
2nd place for Sports – Don King Award
Mike Terhaar, Art Director; Earl Austin Jr. Sports Editor; Alvin A. Reid, News Editor
3rd place for Website Excellence A. Philip Randolph Award: Digital Editors: James LeBine, Isaiah Peters and Dawn Suggs
“I want to congratulate our entire St. Louis American team for the work we put in throughout the year. Each department of our newspaper is represented among the award winners,” said Donald M. Suggs, publisher and executive editor.
“We are especially encouraged by the effort of the American’s digital team and its two first-place awards. A more robust website and digital presence in the St. Louis community is an essential goal for the American in the future.”
The 2025 conference theme, “Elevate: Celebrating the Black Press – 198 Years and Counting Toward 200 Years of Excellence,” included the Messenger Awards presentations at the JW Marriott River Landing. The awards recognized the best in health reporting, education coverage, photography, business journalism, and digital storytelling.
The Sacramento Observer emerged as the evening’s top honoree, earning the John B. Russwurm Pinnacle Award for its “consistently high-caliber reporting and deep community engagement,” according to judges.
Shirley Ann Barber James, publisher of the Savannah Tribune, received a standing ovation as she accepted the Publisher of the Year award.
She was recognized for her decades-long commitment to journalistic excellence and community advocacy. Her leadership, colleagues noted, has been instrumental in preserving the voice of the Black Press in Savannah and beyond.
“This is more than an awards show,” said Karen Carter Richards, chair of the NNPA Fund and publisher of the Forward Times.
“It’s a celebration of our resilience, a spotlight on our excellence, and a recommitment to the mission of the Black Press.”
Through partnerships with the Google News Initiative, Comerica Bank, and H-E-B, the NNPA Fund awarded scholarships to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and pursuing careers in multimedia journalism.
Sponsors for the 2025 ceremony included Google, Comerica Bank, H-E-B, JW Marriott Savannah, and Exclusive Engravings, a Black and veteran-owned business responsible for crafting the evening’s custom awards.