Several Seventh-day Adventist publications and communication teams across North America received recognition during the Associated Church Press (ACP)* “Best of the Church Press” awards announced on May 15, 2026, during the organization’s annual convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The annual ACP awards recognize excellence in faith-based journalism, editorial content, design, visual communication, websites, social media, and multimedia storytelling. The 2026 “Best of the Church Press” contest featured more than 700 entries submitted across nearly 90 categories. Entries were evaluated by Christian communication professionals representing journalism, publishing, design, marketing, and related fields throughout North America and recognized work published during the previous calendar year.

Adventist organizations receiving honors at this year’s event included NAD NewsPoints; Lake Union Herald; Southern Tidings; Spectrum; Ministry, International Journal for Pastors; and The Journal of Adventist Education.

NAD NewsPoints received eight awards during the 2026 Associated Church Press competition for work published during 2025, including several first-place honors recognizing editorial coverage, feature writing, digital communication, and multimedia storytelling.

Among the top recognitions was first place in “Convention or Meeting Coverage” for the North American Division’s comprehensive coverage of the 2025 General Conference Session. This Award of Excellence recognized the collaborative work of Kimberly Luste Maran, NAD communication director; Christelle Agboka, news writer/news producer; Art Brondo, media producer; Julio Muñoz, associate director; and additional contributors who provided news reporting, photography, video, and digital coverage throughout the international church gathering.

NAD NewsPoints also received first place for “Pitching It Forward,” a feature article by Maran telling the story of NAD president G. Alexander Bryant’s homecoming event of throwing the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game while also highlighting ministry and mentorship through baseball outreach initiatives. Another first-place award recognized the redesign of the NAD NewsPoints webpages, a collaborative digital communications project involving NAD Communication and the Research & Design firm.

The NAD communication team additionally received first place in the “Annual Report” category for its 2025 Year-End Meeting video and news coverage package. Contributors included Maran; Agboka; Brondo; Muñoz; Pieter Damsteegt, video producer; Nick Wolfer, NAD production director; and writers Becky St. Clair and Heidi Straw Camargo.

Other NAD NewsPoints honors included second place in the Best in Class: News Service category for “News Service” and additional awards for feature writing and short-form video storytelling, including a third-place finish for “Mission on the Move” (journalist Herma Percy; Daniel Claudet, Gulf States Conference communication director) from the division’s social media coverage of the 2025 General Conference Session and second-place finish for promotional video coverage connected with the 2025 North American Division Master Guide Camporee (Melaney Klinedinst, director and video producer).

“It is always a blessing to have our work recognized by such an esteemed organization as the ACP,” said Maran. “On a professional level, receiving peer review and feedback from communication professionals outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church is deeply appreciated. Even more meaningful, however, is knowing that stories about our faith, mentoring, spreading the Gospel, and the church’s biblically centered message of hope and wholeness are reaching people who might otherwise never encounter our content.”

Lake Union Herald received eight awards, including several first-place honors recognizing excellence in writing, social media, and video production. In the ACP’s “Best of the Church Press” competition, the Herald received an Award of Merit in the Best in Class: Denominational or Other Special Interest Magazine category, placing it among the top three magazines in North America for the second time.

The Herald earned first place for “Immigrants Grapple With Immigration Policy Changes,” a feature article by Danni Thaw exploring the personal and spiritual impact of immigration policy changes within Adventist communities. The publication also earned first place in multiple video and social media categories, including “Herald Shorts,” “Inside the Herald,” and “Happy Sabbath.”

The Herald’s multimedia projects were led by Ruben Casabona, Katie Fellows, Jochy Jamel, Geyvison Ludugerio, Joshua Martin, and Alexander Winkler, whose work highlighted creative storytelling approaches designed to engage audiences across digital platforms. In addition, Andrew Francis, a recent Andrews University graduate, received third place for Best Emerging Journalist.

“We are honored and humbled by these awards,” said Lake Union Herald editor and communication director Debbie Michel. “It is important to note that these awards do not reflect what is good about the Lake Union communication department. Instead, they reflect the glory of our awesome God who gives us the privilege of sharing His excellence with those whom our department is charged with humbly serving.”

Southern Tidings received recognition in editorial and visual storytelling categories. The publication earned first place in online photo essay coverage for “Disaster Relief in Pikeville, Kentucky,” produced by Xander Ordinola. The Tidings also received third place for “Don’t Let the Light Go Out,” an editorial by Amireh Al-Haddad.

“We are honored to receive these awards,” said Bryant Taylor, Southern Union Conference communication director. “Recognition from an external organization is a highlight of our year and a testament to the outstanding work being done across Southern Union. These awards showcase the depth and diversity of expertise, creativity, and talent among our colleagues.”

In addition to division and union publications, several Adventist journals and independent publications were recognized during the 2026 ACP awards.

The General Conference’s The Journal of Adventist Education received three awards, including first place honors for “Rescuing Teachers From Burnout — Etiology, Symptoms, and Intervention Strategies” by H. R. Ceballo-Hernandez, and “Suicide Awareness and Crisis Planning — Trauma Responsive Techniques for Educators” by D. R. Young, S. M. Trecartin, and K. L. MacPhee.

Ministry, International Journal for Pastors, also a GC publication, received three awards recognizing theological reflection, scholarly writing, and service journalism. Among the honored entries was Daniel Jeon’s first-place theological reflection article, “Understanding the Constants in Genesis 1: A Framework for Bible Study.”

Spectrum received five awards overall, including first place for Seth Pierce’s scholarly article “The Demonologist from Down Under.” The independent publication also received honors for investigative reporting, social media engagement, and news coverage addressing immigration concerns affecting Latino Adventist communities.

The 2026 ACP honors continue a multi-year pattern of recognition for Adventist communicators across North America. Although unreported by the NAD until now, Adventist publications have had a strong showing at the ACP for the past three years.

At the 2025 Associated Church Press convention, which recognized work published during 2024, several Adventist publications again earned honors in reporting, editorial writing, design, and multimedia storytelling. NAD NewsPoints received seven awards for feature reporting, convention coverage, and digital communication projects connected to division-wide ministry initiatives and major church events.

Among the top honors, NAD president G. Alexander Bryant received an Award of Excellence in the James Solheim Award for Editorial Courage category for his article, “Women Leading in the Spirit of the Latter Rain.” NAD NewsPoints also earned first place in the Newspaper/Newsletter Design, Entire Issue category for the “NAD NewsPoints: August Camporee Edition,” created by Maran and Brondo.

The NAD communication team also received first place in the Theme Issue, Section, or Series category for its “Believe the Promise” International Pathfinder Camporee coverage. Contributors to the award-winning project included Maran; Agboka; and writers John Simon, Lori Peckham, Martha Ban (NAD Education), Christina Norris (Southern Union), Becky St. Clair, and V. Michelle Bernard (Columbia Union).

Lake Union Herald enjoyed a strong ACP showing with awards recognizing in-depth reporting, photography, and digital storytelling. The Herald’s honored work included coverage addressing social issues, local church ministry initiatives, and creative video storytelling produced for online audiences.

Southern Tidings received recognition for editorial and visual communication work highlighting ministry stories from across the Southern Union territory. Award-winning entries reflected the publication’s emphasis on regional storytelling, mission reporting, and community engagement.

The previous year’s ACP competition, held in Chicago in 2024 and recognizing work published during 2023, likewise featured solid representation from Adventist publications across the NAD.

NAD NewsPoints received ACP honors for personal storytelling, documentary filmmaking, and digital journalism. Among the top recognitions, the NAD communication team earned an Award of Excellence in the Documentary Short category for “Oakwood Adventist Academy – ‘Bigger Than Basketball’ Part 2,” produced by Maran, Muñoz, and filmmakers Mark Comberiate, Bryan Fowler, and Jonathan LaPointe. An Award of Merit in the Personal Experience, Short Format category was given to “Walking Miracles of God’s Amazing Grace,” written by NAD vice president Minervino Labrador Jr. NAD NewsPoints received an Honorable Mention in the prestigious Best in Class: News Service category.

Lake Union Herald earned multiple awards that year for feature writing, photography, social media engagement, and video storytelling. Among the publication’s top honors were Awards of Excellence for “I Choose to Teach,” by Beverly Matiko and Emily Gibbs, in the Biographical Profile category, and “Blessed are the Wholemakers,” by Ante Jeroncic, in the Scholarly Article category.

Canadian Adventist Messenger received awards for editorial and design excellence, including an Award of Merit in the Biographical Profile category for “It’s Always About God,” by Annie Warner Donnelly, and an Award of Excellence for graphic designer Aimee Perez’s presentation of the same story in the Magazine/Journal Design category.

* Founded in 1916, the Associated Church Press is one of North America’s oldest professional organizations for religious journalism and communication. The organization brings together editors, writers, designers, publishers, and communication professionals committed to excellence in faith-based media.