The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript received the top prize in the state for General Excellence, along with honors for reporter Jesseca Timmons, during the annual New Hampshire Press Association Distinguished Journalism Awards.

The awards were handed out during a ceremony Thursday at St. Anselm College in Manchester. The Ledger-Transcript’s first place in General Excellence included both daily and non-daily entrants.

“This award is another tribute to the great work the staff of the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript does on a regular basis,” stated Bill Fonda, the paper’s editor. “It’s the people who make this paper what it is.”

“I am happy for Jesseca and proud of our entire team,” stated Publisher Heather McKernan. “This year’s General Excellence award – recognizing the Ledger-Transcript as the best overall publication in New Hampshire in 2024 – is a huge achievement and shows the consistent quality of the work we do. It’s a real honor.”

The General Excellence award was given based on a selection of three editions from 2024, which for the Ledger-Transcript, were the preview of March Town Meeting, including crucial community votes; the Sept. 24 issue which covered three fatal crashes in the region within 16 hours; and the paper’s 175th anniversary issue.

Judges’ comments on the award called the editions “jam-packed with local news,” noting the Town Meeting coverage as an “expansive and exhaustive look at a critical school vote,” and the report of the fatalities as “sober, but delicate.”

“175th was a good year for the MLT,” judges noted.

Timmons was honored as runner-up in two reporting categories – Best Feature, for a story on Morphs & Milestones, a nonprofit that focuses on rescuing reptiles and using them as education and communication tools; and Best Arts Feature for her coverage of up-and-coming band Under the Horizon.

“I’m so thrilled that these two stories won, because they were probably my two of favorite stories of the whole year,” Timmons said. “Getting to hear people’s stories is the best part of my job. There are so many people out there doing such amazing things; it kind of restores my faith in humanity.”

Timmons said the people she met during these stories were some of her standouts for the year.

“Getting to meet Nate Monty his family and learning about how they founded Morphs & Milestones to help their daughter and other children like her is just an incredible story. I was in tears when I toured their space, meeting reptiles who had been rescued from abuse. I had no idea.”

Timmons recalled her time spent with Mat Palmer, Jordan Sweet and Izzy McIntyre, the three high school students who make up Under the Horizon, who have played as openers for bands such as Great White and Queensryche.

“Meeting the three teenagers in the rock band Under the Horizon and hearing how far they have come in a year was just amazing. I sat and talked with them for an hour, and I was just blown away by these kids. They are pretty special. I can’t wait to see how far they go,” Timmons said.