AY Media Group, publisher of AY About You (AY), Arkansas Money & Politics (AMP) and Arkansas Mental Health Guide Magazine (MHG) claimed the top prize at the 2026 Arkansas Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The awards event, held June 27, concluded the APA’s annual convention, held this year in Eureka Springs.
The company took home first in General Excellence in the online/magazine division, denoting the overall best publication. The winner is determined by a point system, gained through placements by the publication company’s finishes in various contest categories.
Heather Baker (center) accepts the General Excellence Award for AY Media Group, denoting the overall winner in the magazine/online division of the Arkansas Press Association’s annual awards program.
“Last year was our first time entering the APA Better Newspaper Contest, and we placed third,” said Heather Baker, president and publisher, who placed first in the Best Column-General Interest category. “We were determined to come back stronger in 2026, and we certainly did. I’m so proud of all of our writers for the excellent work they did and am delighted to see them get recognized for it.”
Dwain Hebda
AY/AMP writers took home 29 total awards, including 10 first-place awards. Leading the team was Dwain Hebda, editor-in-chief, who earned 10 total awards. They included first-place honors for “The Healer” (AMP) and second-place honors for “Still in the Fight” (AMP) in Best Health-Medical Story; plus second place as Best Beat Reporter-Entertainment and third place for Best Beat Reporter-Agriculture.
Hebda also swept two divisions, including freelance recognition for “The Lifer” (first place, MHG); “#Me First” (second place, AY); and “Minutes to Memories” (third place, AY). He also swept Headline Writing with “Laughing Matters” (AY), “It’s Kind of a Pig Deal” (AMP) and “The Original Gagster”(AY), respectively.
Heather Baker
President and Publisher Heather Baker, won first place in Best Column-General Interest category with “What Happened: Four Years Later” (AY).
Mark Carter
Senior Editor Mark Carter landed two first-place awards including Best Business Story for “White Sands of Arkansas” (AMP) and Best Humorous Column for “See Lumberjack, Be Lumberjack,” (AMP) as well as second in the latter category for “Help! Ash Trees in Arkansas Need Someone” (AMP). In the Best Sports Feature Story category, Carter took second place for “Feeding the Monster” (AMP).
Doug Crise
Doug Crise, staff writer, won the Best Sports Feature Story category with “Arkansas Hockey” (AMP), and took first for Best Editorial for “Can You Hear Me Now?” (AMP). He also added a third-place finish in the latter category for “Bobby Petrino” (AMP). Crise added two awards in the Best Sports News Story category with a third place for “Caught in the Crossfire” (AMP) and an honorable mention for “College Sports Revenue Sharing” (AMP).
Two other writers took home top honors including Alex Hardgrave, who placed first in the Best News Story division for “Saving the Sparta” (AMP). Mak Millard placed first for “Southern Hearts Rescue” (AY) in the Best Feature Story category, as well as second place for “Growing Pains” (AMP) in the Best Business Story category and honorable mention for “90s No More” in the Best News Story (AY) field.
Mak Millard
Rounding out the medal haul was Sarah DeClerk, who placed second in the Best Education Story category with “Bell to Bell No Cell” (AMP) and third in the Best Business Story division for “Blue Sky Thinking” (AMP). Mary LeSieur placed second in Best Editorial with “The College Question” (AMP) and third in Best Health-Medical Story with “Where There’s Life There’s Hope” (AMP).
Sarah Declerk
