News-Leader wins General Excellence in state contest

The Fernandina Beach NewsLeader won three awards during the Florida Press Association’s 2025 Weekly Newspaper Contest. 

The News-Leader took First Place in General Excellence in its division. 

General Excellence represents the best newspapers overall in each circulation division. It celebrates the stories, photos, advertising and design of the newspaper. 

“I am proud of our entire team at the News-Leader for winning first place in the Florida Press Association contest for General Excellence in Division B. This is an outstanding accomplishment,” said News-Leader publisher, Todd Frantz. “The award not only reflects the quality of news content, page design and photo quality, but also encompasses advertising design and print quality.” 

Assistant Editor Ashley Chandler also took third place in Sports Photo for “Kickoff in the Fog” and third place in General News Story for coverage of the “Gangway Collapse” at a Fourth of July event. 

“I am so appreciative to be recognized for my work as a journalist,” Chandler said. “For many years, I have focused my efforts behind the scenes without putting myself out there, particularly as a writer. To earn recognition in a category for both photography and reporting gives me a sense of peace in my decision to return to the field of journalism, and it motivates me to continue to better myself and my craft.” 

Chandler joined the News-Leader as a part-time photographer and reporter in 2024. She moved to fulltime in January 2025 before her promotion to Assistant Editor in summer 2025. 

The awards were presented June 5 at the Florida media Conference in at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs. 

The Contest is open to weekly and semiweekly newspapers that are members of the FPA. A panel of working newspaper editors from other states served as judges. 

“It’s nice for our team to receive this prestigious recognition for all of their hard work,” Frantz said. “The readers in Fernandina Beach and Nassau County deserve a quality newspaper. We are always striving to improve, but winning first place in General Excellence and Ashley placing third for her photojournalism and reporting in the 2025 Florida Press Association is a good sign that we are on the right path.”