Bethesda Today brought home a total of 11 awards from the annual Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association’s editorial and advertising contest, including news organization of the year for 2024 in its division.
Local newspapers and online news organizations competed for awards in more than 80 categories. First- and second-place awards are recognized in each category, as well as one “Best of Show” winner per category. This year, more than 1,600 entries published in 2024 were submitted.
Publications are organized into divisions based on total audience. Bethesda Today competed in Division D.
MDDC announced winners on YouTube on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and “Best of Show” winners in-person at the Doubletree Annapolis hotel on Friday.
Here are the awards won by Bethesda Today:
- Sports feature story: Education reporter Ashlyn Campbell won first place for her story about girls flag football in Montgomery County.
- Breaking news: Senior reporter Ginny Bixby won first place for her story on a rowdy Potomac ‘Wet Dreams’ pool party.
- General news story: Growth, dining & public safety reporter Elia Griffin won first place for her story on a local event to increase Black homeownership in Montgomery County.
- Local government: Bixby swept this category, winning first and second place. Her second-place story focused on food pantries’ funding struggles, and she won first place for a look into the hidden history of Montgomery County’s LGBTQ+ trailblazers.
- State government: Bixby also won first place for her reporting on proposed state legislation to protect transgender patients and their healthcare providers.
- Wild card: Pre-election coverage of the 2024 election: Bethesda Today won both second and first places, with Campbell earning second for coverage of Brenda Diaz’s run for a school board seat. Bixby earned first place for her article about Republican efforts in Montgomery County during the 2024 election season.
- Education reporting: Campbell earned first place for a report on local schools’ cell phone policies.
- Arts/entertainment reporting: Bixby snagged first place for her article on the closure of Silver Spring’s music shop Record Exchange.
- News organization of the year: Bethesda Today
