Each year the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association opens up the awards to members within the Commonwealth, splitting the judging into seven print divisions. The Express is included in Division IV.

“The Express has proudly served this community for over 140 years, weathering monumental changes and challenges along the way. Through it all, we’ve remained committed to delivering award-winning journalism and this year’s Keystone Awards are a meaningful reminder of that dedication. I’m incredibly proud of our talented, hardworking team,” General Manager Jordan McCloskey said.

In total, The Express won seven awards in a variety of categories including for page design, editorial writing, news coverage and its podcast — The Express Compressed.

The awards included:

— First Place: Feature Page, “The Last of Use,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” “Concert Cover,” “Striking Gold” and “Nostalgia Medley” created by Design Editor and Editorial Page Editor Arianna McKee.

— First Place: Podcast, The Express Compressed, created and produced by Advertising Representative Michaela Fye, Managing Editor Laura Jameson and Assistant Advertising Manager Megan Muthler.

— Second Place: News Feature Story, for “Local detective believes he’s cracked 33-year-old cold case in Bellefonte” written by staff reporter, Hunter Smith.

— Second Place: Editorial, “Standing down, not standing up,” “Margins amongst the marginalized” and “Unkel Joe’s closure is a warning to local customers” written by Design Editor and Editorial Page Editor Arianna McKee.

— Second Place: News Page Design, “BagelBagel,” “A festive fir,” “LH Jams,” “Journalism Class” and “Whitetail” created by Design Editor and Editorial Page Editor Arianna McKee.

Managing Editor Laura Jameson offered praise to McKee and Smith for their work.

“Arianna is a powerhouse designer and a gifted writer and I’m grateful to work alongside her each day to produce the best product for our readership,” Jameson said. “She truly is a blessing to our newsroom and I’m always excited to see what creative ideas she comes up with for page design, or a thoughtful editorial she’ll cook up.”

As for Smith, Jameson said he’s proven to be an asset to the newsroom since being brought on in early 2024.

“Hunter is truly a gift to the newsroom. Though he’s a recent graduate from Penn State, he hit the ground running here at The Express and continues to prove he has talent and a journalistic instinct that’s often shown in his reporting — both in news and feature content,” she said. “I can’t wait to continue watching him learn and grow.”

McCloskey echoed much of her thoughts on both employees.

“Arianna is an absolute all-star. Her talent has been earning awards for years, and it shows in every edition of The Express. If you’ve enjoyed the vibrant layouts in our Scene section or the thoughtful presentation of our Our View editorials, you have Arianna to thank for that,” he said. “I’d also like to recognize our newest reporter, Hunter, who’s been hitting it out of the park. I’m genuinely grateful to have him on our team.”

As for The Express Compressed, McCloskey is excited to see it be recognized so soon after it celebrated its first anniversary.

The podcast was created and continues to be fostered by Fye, who serves as producer, and is the newspaper’s latest effort to provide its product in a unique format.

“A special thank you as well to everyone who has supported The Express Compressed. Our Advertising Representative, Michaela Fye, deserves tremendous credit for kick-starting the podcast and handling all the behind-the-scenes work — from developing timely topics to keeping our hosts, Laura Jameson and Megan Muthler, on track each episode,” he said. “What began as a few episodes recorded on old equipment in a storage closet has since evolved into a proper recording booth with a growing, engaged audience. This award makes that journey even more meaningful, and we couldn’t be prouder.”

The Express’s sports department also received awards for its sports page design including:

— First Place for “Spring Sports Guide,” “Elite Status,” “Kahale Burn,” “Golden Stars” and “Historic Win” submitted by Sun Gazette Design Editor Tim Wertz.

— Second Place for “Highstakes,” “Polished Bronze,” “Moving On,” “Heartbreaker” and “Historic Win” submitted by Sun Gazette Sports Editor Jon Gerardi.