MVI staff captures 2025 Keystone Press Awards
More than 2,500 entries were submitted in the annual statewide contest.
By the MVI
The Mon Valley Independent took home several awards in this year’s Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s annual Keystone awards.
The winning entries were picked from among more than 2,513 entries this year from 119 Pennsylvania news organizations. The entries, from work published in 2024, were judged by journalist members of the Hoosier State Press Association in Indiana.
Winners were honored at the Keystone Media Awards Luncheon on Oct. 16 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel.
“We have quite a team here at the Mon Valley Independent,” said Managing Editor Stacy Wolford. “Our entire staff here values community journalism and is dedicated in delivering the best for our readers. This is a great accomplishment for our staff. We work hard each day and it’s always special to be recognized by those in our industry.”
Honored for their work at the MVI are:
• Staff photographer Jeff Helsel won first place in the News Event Photo category for his entry, “Hundreds attend funeral for Donora firefighter.” Helsel also captured two second place awards in the Breaking News Photo category for his entry, “Suspect finally surrenders after long standoff in Monongahela,” and in the Feature Photo category for “Coin battle raises cash for Meals on Wheels.” Helsel joined the MVI as a sports photographer in 2020 and became a staff photographer in 2022. He is an adjunct professor of photography and digital media technology at Penn-West University.
Carl Hill
• News Editor Carl Hill won honorable mention in Headline Writing for the entries: “Chicken ordinance scratched in NBV”; “Sunflower Festival wilts amid drought conditions”; and “Landscaping goats don’t kid around.”
A veteran editor and journalist, Hill was a news editor at the former Valley Independent since 1998 and joined the MVI staff when it opened in 2016.
