Staff Report
The Louisiana Press Association announced the winners of the 2025 Better Newspaper Competition on May 8, 2026 at the Baton Rouge City Club, including Newspaper of the Year honors, which included:
Division 1: The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate
Division 2: The Ruston Daily Leader
Division 3: Jena Times
Division 4: Pointe Coupee Banner
Division 5: Central City News
At this year’s luncheon, the Ville Platte Gazette and The Basile Weekly both received multiple awards in Division 4. The Basile Weekly tied with the Pointe Coupee Banner for Newspaper of the Year with 37 points, and the Ville Platte Gazette placed second for Newspaper of the Year with 35 points.
“Both staffs at Ville Platte and Basile continue to produce award winning entries each year,” publisher Garland Forman said. “Both contend for Newspaper of the Year every year and just missed out this year on winning the top award in their division. It’s not just the editorial staff of editor Tony Marks (Ville Platte), Heather Bogard (Ville Platte) and editor Darrell LeJeune (Basile); it’s also the advertising and graphic design work of Kathy Longino and Monique Fontenot. This group of workers work with each other to produce outstanding editions of the paper each week as they provide coverage of events in their communities.”
The designation for the Newspaper of the Year is based on the number of points earned in the contest, with awards being given in individual contests for first, second, and third places. The editorial contests range from news story writing to graphic design while the advertising entries were judged based on design, creativity, and effectiveness.
“The 2025 contest had some very close races for ‘Newspaper of the Year’ and that’s exciting,” LPA Executive Director McHugh David said of the 830 entries. “Our members across the state take their work seriously, and it shows when we run our contest.”
The following is a rundown of how both of the Evangeline Parish newspapers performed in the competition.
Kathy Longino and Monique Ardoin, Ville Platte Gazette, won 1st place for Best Ad Campaign with Don’t Drink and Drive; 2nd place for Best Multiple Advertiser Page with Memorial Day.
Kathy Longino and Monique Ardoin, The Basile Weekly, won 1st place for Best Multiple Advertiser Page with Homecoming Ads.
Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, swept the awards for Best In-Paper Promotion with 3rd place for Basile Weekly online, 2nd place for Save Your Memories, and 1st place for Growing Up with The Basile Weekly.
Kathy Longino and Monique Ardoin, Ville Platte Gazette, won 3rd place for Best Staff Generated Ad for The Evangeline Bank and Trust Company.
The Basile Weekly staff won 2nd place with a story on storms tearing thru Tepetate, and Darrel LeJeune, of The Basile Weekly won 1st place with a story on an aerial assault aiding fire fight in Best Breaking News Story.
Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, won 2nd place with a photo of a pig chase, and Rachel Manuel, The Basile Weekly, won 1st place with a photo of pretty in pink cheerleaders in Best Feature Photo.
Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, won 3rd place with a story on the Basile Cajun Hour, and Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 1st place with a story on Sharon Fontenot retiring as curator of the Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum in Best Feature Story.
Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, won 2nd place in Best Front Page with the entries for April 3 and July 10.
Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 3rd place with “A gem of a gym” on a story about the ribbon being cut upon the completion of a project at Vidrine Elementary, and Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, won 2nd place with “From Grave to Cradle” on a story about The Little Cajun Saint inspiring a new generation of hope and healing in Best Headline.
Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 3rd place with a photo about Memorial Day being observed at the courthouse and 2nd place for a photo about Sacred Heart running for a chicken in Best News Photo.
Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 1st place in Best News Story for a story about leakage from Allen Parish landfill contaminating Cypress Creek.
Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 2nd place in Best Sports Column for columns about missing the BCS and wild predictions.
Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 3rd place in Best Single Editorial for a column about the election of Pope Leo XIV.
Darrel LeJeune, Monique Ardoin, and Kathy Longino, The Basile Weekly, won 3rd place with the Louisiana Swine Festival Edition, and the staff of the Ville Platte Gazette won 1st place with the Boggy Bayou Festival Edition for Best Special Section.
In Best Sports Photo, Tonya Ortego, The Basile Weekly, won 2nd place for a photo of Bearcat defender Landon Istre attempting to block a pass by Mamou’s quarterback Jayden Ardoin, and Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 1st place for a photo of Caden Askey sliding underneath a tag to score Pine Prairie’s second run in the top of the first inning in Game 3 against Berwick.
Best Sports Story was a sweep as Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, won 3rd place for a story about a homegrown athlete following in father’s footsteps, and Tony Marks, Ville Platte Gazette, won 2nd place for a story about Bobby Soileau and four others representing LSU at Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction and 1st place for a story about Pine Prairie High School getting shut out again in a game against Crowley.
In Best Layout and Design, Heather Bogard, Ville Platte Gazette, won 3rd place with Boggy Bayou Festival royalty crowned and Ville Platte Rotary Club holding annual installation banquet, and Darrel LeJeune and Kathy Longino, The Basile Weekly, won 2nd place with Miss Basile, Swine Festival cover, and Royalty.
Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, won 2nd place with a column about a family, a football game, and a lifelong love for New Orleans in Best Regular Column.
In Best Investigative Reporting, Darrel LeJeune, The Basile Weekly, won 3rd place for a story about the enduring legacy of Albert “Al” LaVergne and Miss Rose’s Bar and 2nd place for a story about sharing the life story of Basile High’s first graduate as the school celebrates its Centennial Class.
In General Excellence, the staff of The Basile Weekly won 3rd place with the October 9 and October 30 editions, and the staff of the Ville Platte Gazette won 2nd place with the January 26 and May 25 editions.
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