Inter Lake stays on top as Montana’s best daily newspaper

The Daily Inter Lake was named the best daily newspaper in the state Friday at the Montana Newspaper Association's 141st annual convention in Miles City, earning a host of awards across multiple news and advertising categories.

The win marked the third consecutive year the newspaper has won the Sam Gilluly and General Excellence awards. Competing in the division against the state's largest newspapers and online news outlets, the Inter Lake secured 13 first-place awards. 

The Better Newspaper Contest recognizes the best journalism, photography, design, advertising and digital work produced by Montana newspapers during 2025. The contest was judged by the Nevada Newspaper Association. 

Natural resources and political reporter Hailey Smalley won the Mark Henckel Outdoor Writing Award for her coverage of Northwest Montana's dwindling elk population. 

"This was outstanding outdoor journalism that blended strong reporting, science, and storytelling into an engaging and important piece," a judge commented. "The entry tackled a complicated wildlife issue in a way that was accessible to readers while still showing depth, strong sourcing, and a clear understanding of why the issue matters to Montana communities and outdoors enthusiasts." 

Smalley teamed up with Report for America reporter Hannah Shields to earn third place in news reporting for their coverage of a string of wildfires in Sanders County that sparked up along railroad tracks. 

"Very thorough reporting, mixing public records and local impact with emotional testimony of people directly affected," the judge noted. 

In the competitive investigative journalism category, Inter Lake News Editor Derrick Perkins placed second for his series on the aftermath of a fire that destroyed multiple buildings in Noxon's business district. An accompanying Deep Dive podcast series on the Noxon fire claimed first place in the feature video category. 

"The detail of the characters the reporter interviewed kept me engaged and invested in Noxon," the judge commented. 

The newspaper's coverage of last December's historic flooding in Lincoln County garnered second place for breaking news. 

"The strongest aspect of this entry was its ability to communicate urgency without becoming chaotic," the judge wrote. "Flood coverage can often become a stream of disconnected updates, but this reporting remained focused and coherent while still conveying the seriousness of the event." 

Photographer Casey Kreider earned second and third place awards for sports photography, including for his memorable image of Flathead High School's Dustyn Franchini-White celebrating a game-winning shot against Missoula Hellgate. 

"His expression says it all," the judge commented. "Good timing to capture the shot and emotions." 

Sports reporter and podcast host Luke Schmit swept the sports video category for the Keeping Score and Big Sky Now podcasts. 

"Love to see how much research and preparation you've put in ahead of these interviews and it shows how well you know the team and all of the players you interview," the judge wrote about Schmit's postgame coverage of Glacier High School's State AA football championship. 

In other video categories, reporter and podcast host Taylor Inman and producer Jessica Tullos teamed up to earn awards for Deep Dive episodes on the county jail bond initiative and the Flathead 4-H program. In audience development, Melissa Wells placed first for her multimedia presentation work. 

The newsroom also placed first for editorial writing, page layout and special sections, and was recognized for its headline writing, social media and website. 

The Inter Lake advertising team showed its strength as a local marketing partner, tallying multiple awards for sponsorship pages, online ads, promotional ads, use of local photography and marketing campaigns. 

Hagadone Media Group's weekly newspapers also racked up accolades, including numerous first-place awards for the Whitefish Pilot, Lake County Leader, The Western News and Hungry Horse News. 

The Monitor in Boulder earned the Thomas Dimsdale Award for best Montana weekly newspaper, and the Flathead Beacon took home the top award for best online newspaper. Mel Ruder Photograph of the Year went to Gary Marshall of the Independent Record in Helena. 

AT THE banquet held June 18-19, the Montana Newspaper Association inducted publisher Milton "Milt" Wester into the Montana Newspaper Hall of Fame. Wester was a longtime owner of The Laurel Outlook. 

Jeff Welsch and Brice and Lois Lambert were recognized with Master Editor and Publisher awards. Welsch's 40-year career in Montana journalism includes the creation of 406 MT Sports. Most recently he served as editor in chief of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. The Lamberts published The Ekalaka Eagle weekly newspaper for nearly 30 years. 

“These awards recognize the very best of Montana journalism and the people who dedicate their careers to serving their communities through local news,” said Montana Newspaper Association Executive Director Brian Allfrey. “At a time when trusted local journalism is more important than ever, Montana newspapers continue to produce outstanding work that informs, educates and strengthens communities across our state.”  

As the association concluded its annual business meeting, members thanked outgoing president Eric Lovec of The Ekalaka Eagle for his leadership during the past year and elected Matt Baldwin, regional editor for Hagadone Media Montana, as president for the coming year.