21 LION members have been named winners of the 2025 Sustainability Awards

Yesterday evening, we celebrated the 2025 LION Publishers’ Sustainability Awards at the Independent News Sustainability Summit in St. Louis, where 21 LION members were named winners in 10 award categories. 

Event emcees and LION board members Richard Young, founder and executive director of CivicLex, and Gunita Singh, a staff attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, presided over the packed ceremony. With the help of our sponsors, including Knight Foundation and Google, we honored the 51 finalists and welcomed winners to the stage. Santa Cruz Local took home two awards, bringing the total number of winning entries to 22.

2025 marked our seventh annual ceremony, and each year, our independent panel of expert judges is consistently impressed by the quality of submissions. You can see what the judges had to say about the winners below.

Two categories were not judged by this panel: LION staff selected the finalists and winner for the Transformational Impact Award (shoutout to The Charlotte Ledger), and members voted to select our Community Member of the Year, Conecta Arizona’s Maritza L. Félix. 

Thanks to our generous sponsors, LION will award at least $60,000 in total cash prizes to this year’s winners. Sponsors include The Carol Oppenheim and Jerome S Lamet Charitable Fund, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Google, Reynolds Journalism Institute, BlueLena, Democracy Fund, The Lenfest Institute, Flying Comet Games, Spot-On Ads, The AP Fund for Journalism, Newspack, Broadstreet, Jobcase, Nextdoor, The Collaborative Journalism Resource Hub at Montclair State University, Creative Circle Media Solutions, Press Forward, The New York Times, and The 19th. This event was also supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Congratulations to all of the winners of the 2025 LION Sustainability Awards!

• Cardinal News: Winner, LION Business of the Year Award, Medium/Large Revenue Tier
• Charlottesville Tomorrow: Winner, Collaboration of the Year Award, Large Revenue Tier
• Cityside Journalism Initiative: Winner, Operational Resilience Award, Medium/Large Revenue Tier
• Ctrl+P Publishing: Winner, Product of the Year Award, Medium Revenue Tier
• Estes Valley Voice: Winner, Community Engagement Award, Micro Revenue Tier
• Ethopique: Winner, Public Service Award, Micro Revenue Tier
• Green Philly: Winner, Product of the Year Award, Micro/Small Revenue Tier 
• La Converse: Winner, Community Engagement Award, Small Revenue Tier
• LOOKOUT: Winner, Community Engagement Award, Medium Revenue Tier
• Maritza L. Félix, Conecta Arizona: Winner, Community Member of the Year
• Mat-Su Sentinel: Winner, New LION Business of the Year Award
• Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk: Winner, Collaboration of the Year, Medium Revenue Tier
• Outlier Media: Winner, Public Service Award, Large Revenue Tier
• Oviedo Community News: Winner, Operational Resilience Award, Micro/Small Revenue Tier
• Richland Source and Ashland Source: Winner, Community Engagement Award, Large Revenue Tier
• Santa Cruz Local: Winner, LION Business of the Year Award, Small Revenue Tier, and Public Service Award, Small Revenue Tier 
• Taproot Edmonton: Winner, Collaboration of the Year, Small Revenue Tier
• The Austin Chronicle: Winner, Product of the Year, Large Revenue Tier
• The Charlotte Ledger: Winner, Transformational Impact Award
• The Nevada Independent: Winner, Financial Health Award, Medium/Large Revenue Tier
• The Record North Shore: Winner, Financial Health Award, Micro/Small Revenue Tier

Keep reading to discover more about each category and winner.

LION Business of the Year Award

Recognizes a LION member that has made significant progress toward achieving sustainability through strengthening its operational resilience, financial health, and journalistic impact.

Small Revenue Revenue Tier

Between $50,000 and $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Santa Cruz Local

Santa Cruz Local achieved 58 percent year-over-year fundraising growth by Q1 2025, gave staff raises of 16 to 24 percent, hired new staff, and had its Election Guides read by one in three voters.

From the judges: “Santa Cruz Local is firing on all cylinders! This is an organization that has clearly articulated its theory of change and is executing on it with rigor, creativity, and heart. Their civic engagement work is making real, measurable impact (one in three voters using their guide!) while their internal investments in staff pay, benefits, and shared engagement responsibilities reflect a rare level of operational maturity for a newsroom of this size. I’m especially impressed by how they’ve leveraged donor and grant support to bring in world-class talent to accelerate audience growth and impact.”

Medium/Large Revenue Tier

More than $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Cardinal News 

Cardinal News has published over 5,000 stories spotlighting Virginians whose voices have been silenced simply because of where they live. The newsroom also built a development team, restructured its news team, and introduced new products.

From the judges: “Cardinal News’ growth is impressive by any measure, especially given the organization’s size and age. They’ve successfully diversified their revenue sources, raising $150,000 in sponsorships while also cultivating meaningful membership programs and offering engaging experiences like Zoom meetings with reporters. Their willingness to experiment with products like puzzles alongside essential offerings such as weather coverage and contextualized community history shows both creativity and a strong understanding of their audience. Operationally, they’ve expanded their staff over the past four years, reflecting steady, strategic growth grounded in service and sustainability.”

New LION Business of the Year Award

Recognizes a LION member — founded after January 1, 2024 — that exhibits, even in its very early stages, a clearly defined commitment to working toward achieving sustainability through operational resilience, financial health, and journalistic impact.

Winner: Mat-Su Sentinel

By leveraging support organizations, producing award-winning journalism, and developing diverse funding streams from the outset, the Mat-Su Sentinel has established a robust revenue system in just 10 months and currently reaches 20,000 readers each month.

From the judges: “Mat-Su Sentinel is one of the most complete early-stage news businesses I’ve seen. They built an infrastructure: thoughtful growth planning well in advance of launch, a diversified funding base, award-winning journalism, and clear systems that show they’re setting this up to last. They’ve made smart, strategic use of training programs and partner tools, and it’s clear they’re applying what they learn — whether that’s Facebook lead gen, donation flows, or operational efficiency.”

Operational Resilience Award

Recognizes a LION member that has made significant progress toward strengthening its operational resilience by establishing processes, policies, and a people-centered company culture designed to support staff, manage growth, and promote sustainability.

Micro/Small Revenue Tier

Less than $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Oviedo Community News

Oviedo Community News collaborated with several experts to update its hiring and onboarding practices, resulting in enhanced systems for welcoming new team members.

From the judges: “Oviedo Community News has taken impressive steps to strengthen its internal operations by building a thoughtful and forward-looking onboarding process for staff, freelancers, and board members alike. Rather than waiting for growth to happen, Oviedo Community News anticipated it and proactively created documentation and policies rooted in industry best practices. The attention given to onboarding board members is especially noteworthy since this is a critical but often overlooked area. This kind of intentional infrastructure-building lays a solid foundation for future growth and team success.”

Medium/Large Revenue Tier

More than $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Cityside Journalism Initiative

Over the past 18 months, Cityside Journalism Initiative hired a full-time director of people operations, successfully negotiated its first collective bargaining agreement, and introduced a range of benefits for staff aimed at fostering operational excellence.

From the judges: “What struck me the most about this entry was the collaboration between management and the guild to cut costs. That’s such a people-first approach to a difficult situation. Onboarding is so critical to employee success and retention, and they’ve created a thoughtful process that’s clear on goals and expectations. They’ve also shown that they take staff input seriously, tweaking all-hands meetings as they hear feedback.”

Financial Health Award

Recognizes a LION member that has made significant progress toward strengthening its financial health by developing a plan for earning money, managing a budget, and/or monitoring revenue and expenses to extend its financial runway. This can also include the development of a successful and creative strategy to grow or diversify revenue while positively impacting their financial health.

Micro/Small Revenue Tier

Less than $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: The Record North Shore

The Record North Shore has doubled its revenue and tripled its staff size over the past two years by prioritizing revenue diversity and data-informed budgeting. 

From the judges: “The Record’s entry shows all the hallmarks of smart, prudent financial leadership and management. This shows in its high-level focus on revenue diversity and in maintaining reserves — but also in management’s focus on granular, actionable tools for managing each of its five (!) major revenue categories. (And to the people — including some journalists — who say “journalists can’t understand numbers,” you’re wrong. The Record proves it.)

Medium/Large Revenue Tier

More than $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: The Nevada Independent 

The Nevada Independent has diversified its revenue through philanthropy, individual donations, advertising, and event sponsorships, leading to a record increase in earned revenue — from 1.3 to 19 percent.

From the judges: “This is how it’s done: Thoughtful, methodical, and strategic approaches to increasing revenues (and decreasing risks by diversifying revenue streams). The Independent’s leadership has learned the power of dedicated revenue-generating staff, the importance of diversified streams, and how sheer perseverance can lead to sustainability. Well done.”

Public Service Award

Recognizes a LION member that has consistently produced journalism with meaningful and demonstrable impact in its communities.

Micro Revenue Tier

Less than $50,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Ethiopique

Over the past year, Ethiopique has bridged critical information gaps by connecting Amharic-speaking readers directly with elected officials, translating vital legal and civic information, and organizing a live webinar with immigration lawyers.

From the judges: “Ethiopique has made extraordinary outreach efforts to public officials, public agencies, immigration experts, and lawyers to serve their Amharic-speaking community in D.C., which numbers about 100,000. Their stories are shared on Facebook, YouTube, and their Amharic-language website, which has been read over 65,000 times since January 1, 2025.”

Small Revenue Tier

Between $50,000 and $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Santa Cruz Local

Over 70,000 voters used Santa Cruz Local’s online bilingual Election Guides this past spring and fall. These guides have helped county residents become informed and engaged with local issues and elections.

From the judges: “Santa Cruz Local went to great lengths to inform voters about the 2024 elections. This effort was not just about the election guides, but about reaching people who often don’t vote — low-income neighborhoods, communities of color, college students, and Spanish speakers. [This submission showed] clear evidence of tangible outcomes: 81 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the November election. In summary, a really strong, creative effort that supports democracy.”

Large Revenue Tier

More than $1.1 million in annual revenue

Winner: Outlier Media

Outlier Media reported that Wayne County failed to return surpluses from tax-foreclosed homes, revealing how the county unfairly profited from Detroit residents. The newsroom contacted 463 people who may be owed over $5.6 million and assisted with their claims process. 

From the judges: “Outlier Media’s service to the community in response to its investigation into Wayne County’s tax foreclosure system is an inspiring example of how data-driven reporting helps shape a strong narrative story and provides an opening to genuine public service efforts with real impact on community members. The reporting is solid; the phone bank outreach to potentially affected community members is a great example of smart organizing; and the potential impact on the community is profound. Well done.”

Community Engagement Award

Recognizes a LION member that has achieved general excellence in journalistic impact by demonstrating an intentional and systematized approach to community engagement that consistently tells stories for, with, and by the people they are working to serve.

Micro Revenue Tier

Winner: Estes Valley Voice

Since its launch nine months ago, Estes Valley Voice has organized six community engagement events and acted as the media sponsor for two additional community events.

From the judges: “Estes Valley Voice exemplifies intentional, innovative, and impactful community engagement. Their rapid, tangible community service in less than a year is remarkable and positions them as a leader in micro-newsroom community engagement. Their work is deeply rooted in dialogue, inclusivity, and measurable action, setting a high bar for community-centered journalism.”

Small Revenue Tier

Between $50,000 and $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: La Converse

La Converse launched Les Dialogues La Converse, a public video dialogue series created in collaboration with residents of underserved Montréal neighborhoods. Over the past year, the project has engaged more than 500 people. 

From the judges: “Les Dialogues La Converse has so much that I would want to see in a community engagement effort from a news organization: listening sessions, community spaces, thoughtful product development, collaborations, and measurable impact. La Converse has created a program that is deeply integrated with their community rather than just designed for it.”

Medium Revenue Tier

Between $500,000 and $1.1 million in annual revenue

Winner: LOOKOUT

In 2024-25, the LOOKOUT team hosted 37 activities, including the “Summer of Solutions” roundtables and OUTWATCH Fest, serving over 700 people with health services, education, and community-building. 

From the judges: “LOOKOUT’s live journalism events are a standout example of what creative, community-rooted reporting can be. Their ability to bring people together in physical spaces — through forums, festivals, and pop-ups — reflects a newsroom deeply connected to its audience and willing to meet them on their terms. What’s especially impressive is the range and intentionality of their approach. They balance joyful, connective moments like necklace-making with tangible public service, such as offering HIV test kits and civic resources. That mix of delight and utility makes their approach feel not only welcoming but necessary.

Large Revenue Tier

More than $1.1 million in annual revenue

Winner: Richland Source and Ashland Source

Tomorrow’s Talent is a reporting project by Richland Source and Ashland Source that engaged over 1,100 high school students and 94 employers throughout north central Ohio to explore workforce challenges and opportunities. 

From the judges: “The Tomorrow’s Talent project clearly shows how a news organization can bring localized data to life through narrative storytelling, segmented distribution plans, and in-person conversation to foster community engagement and action around an issue that impacts many people with different backgrounds and perspectives.”

Collaboration of the Year

Recognizes a LION member that has successfully formed a short-term or long-term collaboration with at least one other organization to positively affect their journalistic impact, financial health, and/or operational resilience. Entries can include both business-focused and/or editorial-focused collaborations; however the most successful entries will be able to demonstrate a positive impact on more than one of LION’s pillars of sustainability (journalistic impact, financial health, and operational resilience).

Small Revenue Tier

Between $50,000 and $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Taproot Edmonton

Taproot Edmonton and the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness collaborated on “Housing Complex” to explore Edmonton’s housing system. They published the stories of 12 people involved in the housing system and hosted an event attended by approximately 70 people. 

From the judges: “Hands down, this is a tour de force of the power of collaboration and the power of serving your community with high-quality journalism delivered with care, respect, and depth. It is deeply reported and heartfelt. One of the best examples of journalism I’ve experienced in a long time. Bravo.”

Medium Revenue Tier

Between $500,000 and $1.1 million in annual revenue

Winner: Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk

The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is an independent environmental journalism collaborative with 15 journalists working in newsrooms covering the country’s largest watershed. Two major collaborative projects have reached millions of people. 

From the judges: “The Ag & Water Desk collab is so impressive because it shows how a well-designed network can amplify the strengths of many small newsrooms while solving problems none could tackle alone. The Desk brings together local outlets, early-career journalists, mentors, funders, and national partners in a way that’s highly coordinated, mutually beneficial, and deeply mission-driven.”

Large Revenue Tier

More than $1.1 million in annual revenue

Winner: Charlottesville Tomorrow 

Charlottesville Tomorrow partnered with two organizations to create the Charlottesville Inclusive Media Project, which aims to develop a framework for rebuilding local media to serve communities of color in Virginia.

From the judges: “Charlottesville Inclusive Media demonstrates strong strategy and foresight in building both outreach and internal support across its partner organizations. Their collaborative efforts have helped expand reach, develop impactful local content, and lay the groundwork for sustaining each newsroom’s growth. This is a model example of how an ongoing, intentional collaboration can strengthen relationships, deepen community trust, and transform an entire media ecosystem.”

Product of the Year

Recognizes a LION member that developed a successful and creative short-term or long-term product to strengthen their journalistic impact, financial health, and/or operational resilience. We use News Product Alliance’s definition of a news product: “A defined article, series, program, or other content created by a news organization to meet the needs of news consumers, membership and subscription programs, and streaming services.”

Micro/Small Revenue Tier

Less than $500,000 in annual revenue

Winner: Green Philly

Green Philly’s EcoFair is a lively, community-oriented sustainability event. In its first year, it attracted over 1,300 attendees and generated $14,000 in revenue, with nearly $8,000 in profit. 

From the judges: “A wonderful intersection of work! Green Philly’s fair shows how local news can be the convener of action for residents and engage people in what’s possible. The event reflects a strong commitment to listening and adapting and has grown and evolved each year in response to community feedback. This kind of thoughtful, responsive programming shows the power of journalism to both inform and inspire collective action.”

Medium Revenue Tier

Between $500,000 and $1.1 million in annual revenue

Winner: Ctrl+Publishing

Ctrl+P Publishing co-created a shared platform to cross-promote stories and establish a joint ad network. With nm.news, each newsroom retains its independence but shares a section of its newsletter with the network.

From the judges: “This product does a great job at combining editorial production into a package that both fits with an audience need and leads to sustainability through revenue. While many smaller outlets backed away from ad-focused models in the past because of complexity, combining forces in this way both serves the readers as well as the secondary audience of businesses.”

Large Revenue Tier

More than $1.1 million in annual revenue

Winner: The Austin Chronicle

In June 2024, The Austin Chronicle launched Free Press Forever, a monthly music series and donor drive to strengthen community ties and support journalism. Over seven months, it attracted over 500 new donors and raised nearly $50,000. 

From the judges: “Too often newsrooms do all the heavy lifting to make an event like this happen… and then never do it again, leaving everything they learned on the shelf. I appreciate how you used lessons from each event to tweak the next one. The membership numbers are a testament to the value of iterating on this event until it really hits its stride. I also want to call out that the event itself has a diversified revenue strategy, not just the organization – impressive!”

Transformational Impact Award

Recognizes a LION member that has achieved a transformational impact for its organization through dedication to improving operational resilience, financial health, and/or journalistic impact. This member organization is not only making an impact internally, but their growth has also had a positive effect on the communities they serve and the independent news ecosystem.

Winner: The Charlotte Ledger

The Charlotte Ledger began as a one-person newsletter. As it enters its seventh year, in the words of its founder, the Ledger has moved “from a news company with a few newsletters to a full-blown media company with a variety of different facets and multiple entry points for our subscribers and followers.” The Charlotte Ledger launched a new website to complement its presence on Substack and expand its engagement with new audiences. It also hired an operations manager to streamline business development efforts, successfully experimented with events for audience engagement and revenue development, and invested in audience research to fine-tune its product and event strategy.

Community Member of the Year

This award recognizes an individual affiliated with a LION member organization who exemplifies LION’s core values. This person routinely goes above and beyond to support, acknowledge, and celebrate their fellow news entrepreneurs.

Winner: Maritza L. Félix

From the nomination: “Maritza embodies the spirit of the LION community — generous, innovative, and deeply rooted in service. As the founder of Conecta Arizona, she’s built a trusted, Spanish-language news outlet from the ground up, reaching audiences across the U.S.-Mexico border with critical, community-informed journalism. Her leadership has helped center immigrant and Spanish-speaking voices in industry conversations and inspired other publishers to think differently about audience, access, and sustainability. Additionally, Maritza is always ready to mentor others, offer tactical advice, and share hard-won lessons about building a news business from scratch.”

Special thanks to this year’s volunteer judges, without whom the 2025 LION Sustainability Awards would not be possible: Adam Schweigert, Adriana Lacy, Agnes Varnum, Alexandra Smith, Alexis Hyder, Andrew Losowsky, Anika Anand, Anne Galloway, Ariel Zirulnick, Ashley Woods Branch, Ashley Kang, AX Mina, Bene Cipolla, Blair Hickman, Bridget Thoreson, Celia Wu, Christine Schmidt, Christopher Brennan, Clara Soteras, David Grant, Elaine Ramirez, Frances Dinkelspiel, Hanaa’ Tameez, James Breiner, Jennifer Mizgata, Jennifer Hack, Jessica Morrison, Jill Blackman, Joanne Griffith, John Davidow, Jonathan Kealing, Katie Mercer, Laura Amico, Mark Potts, Matthew Green, Max Resnik, Meena Thiruvengadam, Nicole Mastrangelo, Peter Gottlieb, Richard Brown, Samuel Gross, Shane Pekny, Shannan Bowen, Shira Center, Stacey Peters, Stephen Jefferson, Steve Katz, Susanne Beck, Todd Stauffer, Tom Davidson, Tom Kearney, Trish Rodriguez Terrell, and Wendy Rosenfield.