St. Louis Call Newspapers was honored with four awards — one first-place, one second-place and two third-place — in the 2026 Missouri Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for four news articles published in 2025. The Call’s news department was presented with the awards on Sept. 26 during the MPA Better Newspaper Contest awards brunch, held in Columbia, Missouri.

The Call won the following awards:

First Place — Weeklies, Class 3

• Best military story: “Veterans find camaraderie at St. Louis Blues Warriors hockey” by Ellie Marshall.

Second Place  — Weeklies, Class 3

• Best story about the outdoors: “Mehlville’s outdoor classroom brings nature to students for hands-on learning” by Ellie Marshall.

Third Place  — Weeklies, Class 3

• Best story about the outdoors: “Tim and Hannah Pauk bring goats to South County with Kids on Kerth” by Ashlynn Couch.

• Best story about religion: “Affton Christian Church opens doors for 15th annual free Thanksgiving meal” by Ashlynn Couch.

Earlier this year, St. Louis Call Newspapers received six additional awards in the 2026 Missouri Press Advertising and Marketing Executives (MPAME) contest. The MPAME meeting, in which those awards were presented, was held on April 16, 2026, in Jefferson City, Missouri.

The Call won the following awards:

First Place

• Class 3 — Best newspaper produced event: “Oakville Community Holiday Crawl” by Erin Ashwell, Joey Dee and Deborah Baker.

• Classes 2 & 3 — Best classified section by Erin Ashwell and Deborah Baker.

• Class 3 — Best multimedia campaign: “Nottelmann Campaign” by Erin Ashwell, Joey Dee and Deborah Baker.

• Classes 2 & 3 — Best sponsored content/native advertising: “Mehlville Fire Protection District” by by Erin Ashwell and Deborah Baker.

Second Place

• Classes 3 & 4 — Best ad series: “Healthy Shopper Ad Series” by Erin Ashwell and Deborah Baker.

Third Place

• Classes 3 & 4 — Best single house ad: “Call Roaming Photo Call” by Erin Ashwell and Deborah Baker.