by J.T. Mitchell, SuperTalk News Director – jtmitchell@supertalk.fm

MEMPHIS (ST) — The Gazebo Gazette received 16 honors, including The Community Service Award, at the annual Mississippi Press Association (MPA) journalism awards held on June 28 in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Harrison County’s only independent newspaper won the “Community Service” Award in the weekly class for its efforts in 2024 to get word out to voters about the county’s first redistricted map in nearly two decades. The award further solidifies the connection between The Gazebo Gazette and the residents it serves. 

Of nearly 100 members or affiliates in the MPA, owner/publisher Hunter Dawkins has received one of the state’s highest honors for the fourth time to place in the category, finishing first in 2019 as well. 

“I am very proud of being a four-time recipient of this award and thank the MPA for recognizing the importance of the local community,” Dawkins said. “Some outlets have become focused on national news and other outside events instead of what’s happening locally. The majority of every paper we print is local to the core.” 

Other honors for The Gazebo Gazette came in the categories of “Editorials,” “Design,” and “Website.” The newspaper won several awards for excellence in advertising, as well. 

The Mississippi Press Association awards ceremony was held at the Hilton Memphis during the Tri-State Press Convention that also included Tennessee and Arkansas press associations. The three-day convention, which went from June 26-28, featured sessions, roundtables, a silent auction, and other events bringing journalists from across the region together. 

Now in its 159th year, the Mississippi Press Association has long been the trade group that represents local newspapers and digital media outlets. 

“These awards prove the good community-focused work that is going on in newsrooms all over the state,” said Mississippi Press President George R. Turner, who is the publisher of The Greene County Herald and The Richton Dispatch. “We are proud of all of these hard-working journalists.” 

Since Dawkins became owner/publisher in 2017, The Gazebo Gazette has won nearly 100 awards from the Mississippi Press Association, National Newspaper Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists. 

(Photo:  The Community Service Award from the Mississippi Press Association in 2025.  HD/GG.)