St. Louis American continues to garner state, national recognition

As The St. Louis American celebrates 95 years of service, we proudly reflect on a legacy of excellence that has been reinforced by our peers in the news industry.

Since 1995, The St. Louis American has won nearly 800 state, regional, national and international awards for excellence in journalism, design, advertising and community service.

Receiving special distinction from fellow media colleagues – who know first-hand the challenges of producing journalistic excellence while simultaneously practicing operational innovation and agility within a field constantly evolving due to technology–is both a humbling experience and a deeply regarded affirmation.

These honors are dedicated to (and shared with) the community we have advocated for – and hopefully inspired – over the last nine-plus decades.

The St. Louis American has been named “#1 African American Newspaper in the Nation” a grand total of 14 times since 1995, most recently in 2021 by The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) The NNPA, also known as The Black Press of America, is an 83-year-old federation that includes more than 200 African American community newspapers from across the United States.

On the state level, The St. Louis American has won Missouri Press Association’s Gold Cup Award six times recently (2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013), topping all other large Missouri weekly newspapers in its class. The St. Louis American has also won first place honors for General Excellence from Missouri Press Association eight times.

In 2015, partially because of extensive coverage of the Ferguson protests, The St. Louis American was named “Newspaper of the Year” by Local Media Association (LMA) – which is comprised of more than 3,000 member newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, directories, pure plays and research and development partners across North America. LMA was formerly known as Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA), and in 2010 SNA named The St. Louis American “Best Weekly Newspaper in North America” (in its circulation class of 37,500 or more, tying with a publication in Toronto). “Respectful news content [that] covers happenings in the community” and “Beautiful, clean design, linear layout, attractive, lovely,” were among the complimentary remarks directed towards The St. Louis American during the judging process.

Another judge stated: “This is an example of a true community newspaper.”

“That is our mission, and our value proposition and business model reflect our mission,” The St. Louis American publisher and executive editor Donald M. Suggs said. “Local, local, local – hyperlocal.” Suggs said as he proudly pointed out The St. Louis American’s close relationship with its readers. “We’re thrilled that, on average, about 22 percent of our newspaper’s content is actually provided to us by our readers.”

In 2003, The St. Louis American received a Gold Honor Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s School of Journalism. The St. Louis American is the sole African American newspaper to be honored with the Gold Honor Award – which has only been presented to a select group of newspapers since its inception in 1930.

While The St. Louis American’s staff is certainly proud of the continuous recognition for excellence in journalism, we are equally delighted by accolades earned in the name of community service. Since 2004, The St. Louis American has received an unprecedented 15 first-place awards for using our platform to provide much-needed access to resources and opportunities. These distinctions have come from industry organizations that include The National Newspaper Publishers Association, National Newspaper Association, Suburban Newspapers of America, Missouri Press Association and Illinois Press Association.

‘American’ All-Stars In addition to the collective honors, former and current members of The St. Louis American staff have garnered individual recognition for their contributions.

Veteran photojournalist Wiley Price has won nearly 100 local, state and national awards for excellence in photojournalism. Price has been inducted into the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame, St. Louis Media Hall of Fame and St. Louis Press Club Hall of Fame. The St. Louis American’s Earl Austin, Jr. and Alvin A Reid have each received several “Best Sports Columnist” first-place awards from Missouri Press Association.

Graphic artist Angelita Jackson was named “Ad Layout Person of the Year “by Missouri Advertising Managers’ Association. Art director Mike Terhaar and graphic artist Melvin Moore have collectively garnered more than two dozen first place awards for excellence in design and layout.

Publisher and executive editor Donald M. Suggs was named National Publisher of the Year in 2016 by the National Newspaper Publishers Association. He was named to the Hall of Fame of the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. In 2014, Suggs joined former U.S. President Harry S. Truman and Sen. John C. Danforth as the three inaugural members inducted into the Missouri Public Relations Hall of Fame. Suggs is the recipient of nearly 100 other awards including the prestigious 2004 St. Louis Citizen of the Year.

In 2007, The St. Louis American Chief Operating Officer Kevin Jones was named “National Advertising Director of the Year” by Suburban Newspapers of America – which represents all weekly newspapers in North America. Jones was also recently named North American Runner Up for Newspaper Operations All-Star by Editor & Publisher.

Notable Awards

#1 African American Newspaper in the Nation

(National Newspaper Publishers Association, 14 times since 1995)

Newspaper of the Year

(Local Media Association, 2015)

Best Weekly Newspaper in North America

(Suburban Newspapers of America, 2010, 37,000+ circ (tie))

Gold Cup Award – State of Missouri

(Missouri Press Association, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013)

First Place, General Excellence

(Missouri Press Association, 8 times)

Distinguished Service in Journalism Gold Medal Award