04/26/2026
Cozad is Kind Of a Big Deal and here's why:
Cozad LOCAL had the honor of accepting awards from the Nebraska Press Association.
But these don’t happen without you.
Every award is a reflection of this community. Because of you, we get to do this work. And because of you, we have something worth submitting and competing in Class A, (based on circulation).
The LOCAL was simply one newspaper out of around 200, with more than 2,000 entries.
And Cozad showed up.
The LOCAL received four first-place awards. Leading the way was a first-place finish... out of all divisions!!! The Harvest Section (Sept. 2025) in Specialty and Lifestyle. A project rooted entirely in community, Cozad families, Cozad businesses, Cozad stories. The cover photo was by Amanda Spradlin. Written by Krystle Rhoades and Liz Romero, laid out by Mark Lewis. But the heart of it? That was Cozad.
"Purple Hearts Bleed Red” earned first place in In-Depth Writing, a story entrusted to Romero by a Cozad veteran willing to share it. This win is his.
Big E’s Merry Christmas ad took first in Small Ad Color (under ¼ page), designed by Romero but made possible by the businesses that continue to believe in what we do.
Cozad Kindness claimed first in Reader Interaction, because kindness here isn’t rare; it’s who we are.
Cozad LOCAL just points it out.
To read the rest of Cozad's awards read here:
https://www.cozadlocal.com/cozad-kind-big-deal
Somewhere between writing stories, building pages, and chasing deadlines, it’s easy to forget to look up.
To see it. To realize what has been built.
Together.
