JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. — For the second straight year, the Augusta Good News staff won second place in General Excellence in the Georgia Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest at the organization’s annual conference June 12.
The newspaper won 18 total awards, with photographer Mike Adams winning 10 of them including four first place.
His shot of cornerback Aiden Sheppard attempting to steal the ball from Midland Valley wide receiver Jayden Franklin in the Yellow Jackets’ win in the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 7, 2025 took first place in the sports photograph category.
Another North Augusta football photo won first place in the sports feature category. As the Yellow Jackets took the field before their Oct. 17, 2025 game against Airport, one of the players did a flip. Adams captured the moment as the player was upside down and appeared to levitate in mid-air.
It was Augusta Good News all the way in the sports and sports feature categories with Christopher Rickerson winning second in sports and third in sports feature, while Adams took third in sports and second in sports feature.
Adams also won first and third place in the feature photograph category with a shot of rowers at Langley Pond preparing to launch their boats as a mist rises off the water taking top honors.
Adams also won first and second place in photo essay with his coverage of the RECing Crew’s Winter Wonderland Ball winning the top award.
Rounding out Adams’ awards were second and third place in best web photo.
Publisher Charmain Z. Brackett won two first place awards. She placed first in business with a story on a partnership with Textron and the Richmond County School System. And she won first place in sports feature about a Game in the Life of Auggie, the Augusta GreenJackets mascot.
Columnist Ron Baxley Jr.’s “Pop! To the Culture” columns won second place in lifestyle columns.
In addition to his photographs, Rickerson won a third place in sports feature writing.
And last, the snow day photographs of Adams, Brackett and Baxley won a second place for best photo gallery.
Augusta Good News is an award-winning member of the Georgia Press Association, receiving a second place General Excellence in 2025 and 2026. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter here.
