Gerald L. Nowicki

First place General excellence, 2015

General Excellence is the Illinois Press Association's top category, taking into account the newspaper's adherence to Associated Press style, the quality of the photography, the sleekness of the design and more. In 2015, the Press took home top honors in the General Excellence category on the way to taking home the David B. Kramer Memorial trophy for the state's top small weekly.

Pictured above are two issues from the 2015 calendar year that demonstrate the quality of the LeRoy Farmer City Press under the editorship of Jerry Nowicki.

Community Service: First place 2015, honorable mention 2016

Community Service is another of the most prestigious categories as judged by the Illinois Press Association, and the LeRoy Farmer City Press placed in the category twice while Jerry Nowicki was its editor. In 2015, Nowicki led the Press to a first place finish in the category for his coverage of the Vietnam Memorial Wall's appearance in LeRoy, Illinois.

In 2016, the Press took an honorable mention in the category for Nowicki's ongoing coverage of the Farmer City Police Department's improper handling of juvenile cases. That coverage also won award for promotion of the public's right to know and investigative reporting. 

Second place single page design 2015; honorable mention illustration 2016

Nowicki's eye for design was recognized by the Illinois Press Association on several occasions as well. The pictures above showcase two particularly strong layouts that received awards for single page design and illustration, respectively.

Honorable mention newspaper design 2014; third place editorial page 2016

In 2014, the LeRoy Farmer City Press received an honorable mention for newspaper design, and in 2016 the Press received third place for its editorial page. The sleek layout of the Press helped it earn the honors while the vigilance of the editorial page and its advocacy for transparency in government helped the Press earn the honors.

Special section: first place 2015, third place 2016, honorable mention 2014

In each of the three years Nowicki served as editor of the Press, it won awards for best special section. Two of the special sections, depicted above, commemorated state championship victories, and they received multiple honors for articles, photography and design. A third special section commemorated the move of the LeRoy, Illinois Fire and Ambulance Service to its new state-of-the-art building in 2014.

Sports section: first place 2016, third place 2015, honorable mention 2014

Nowicki's sports sections also improved each year he was at the Press. In his first year, the sports section received an honorable mention, then a third place finish in year two. In his final year, the Press took first place for sports section, recognizing the photography, design, headline writing, scope of content and quality of writing.

second place headline writing 2015

Nowicki was also recognized for his headline-writing prowess in 2015 with an award granted for wittiness of headlines and use of typeface.