Recognizing Excellence
The WNA Foundation provides several opportunities to recognize the best of Wisconsin’s newspapers at the professional, collegiate and high school levels:
Better Newspaper Contest
The annual WNA Foundation’s Better Newspaper Contest honors the best work produced by newspapers across the state. The highest scoring weekly and daily newspapers are recognized as the Newspapers of the Year.
Branen Scholarships
Every year since 1999, the three high school journalism programs judged to be the best in the state each receive $1,000 scholarships to support ongoing operations.
Future Headliners Program
The WNA Foundation honors emerging leaders in the newspaper industry every other year. Headliners are profiled in the WNA’s newsletter and serve as ambassadors at the annual convention, as well as other WNA events.
Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame
The Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame inducts industry leaders who have contributed above and beyond the call of duty to newspapers and newspapering in the state. Inductees are honored during a banquet in November.
WNA Memorial Grove
The WNA Foundation pays tribute to deceased publishers each fall during the annual Trees Retreat in Eagle River. The names of approximately 600 former Wisconsin publishers are permanently etched into a granite monument at the Trees For Tomorrow campus.
