The winners from the Association of Community Publishers 2026 Best of the Best are in, and Up & Coming Weekly is proud to count ourselves among them. Winning awards in three different categories, U&CW competed against 715 entries from the U.S. and Canada, and was the only publication in North Carolina to be awarded. 

Erin C. Healy took third place in the Best Original Writing, Sports Article category, for her article on fencer Isaac Canady in our Jan. 29, 2025 edition. The profile on Canady, titled "Local fencer takes long view on reaching the Olympics," focuses on his fencing career as a junior Olympian and his eye to the future. To read the article in full, visit https://bit.ly/4veHbf6

Dr. Shanessa Fenner has been a long time writer for U&CW. A children's educator and Cumberland County's 2025 Principal of the Year, she has been a voice in our community, shedding light on various topics of concern to locals. In our Jan. 1, 2025 edition, Fenner wrote about the Child Advocacy Center's National Trafficking Prevention Month in a piece titled "Be Their Voice." She won first place in the ACP's 2026 Best of the Best Community Service Article category. To read the article, visit https://bit.ly/49Ueewd

Phillip Lewis is the graphic designer at U&CW. He has been with us for a little over a year. He is responsible for cover designs and ads, and is a creative voice within our editorial team. Lewis won first place in the Best Front Page/Cover, Newsprint without Advertising category for our Sept. 17, 2025 edition covering the International Folk Festival. 

The ACP focuses on community publications throughout North America. Membership ranges from "small, independently owned publications with circulations less than 5,000 up to divisions of major communications companies publishing millions of copies every week. The common bond among ACP’s membership is that all publications serve the readers to the best of their ability in their designated circulation areas," according to their website. 

The ACP Best of the Best entries were judged by a panel of industry professionals. Winners were announced June 10 in a virtual session with ACP members. 

Speaking on behalf of the staff and writers at U&CW, we are so incredibly proud of our team. Winning three awards in such a competitive field is an honor, and shows our commitment to our community. 

As Publisher Bill Bowman says, "Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly!"

(Photo: Phillip Lewis, our graphic designer at Up & Coming Weekly, won first place in the Best Front Page/Cover, Newsprint without Advertising category in the Association of Community Publisher's 2026 Best of the Best Awards.)