Fellows and Interns honored with NM Press Association awards

The New Mexico Local News Fund is proud to announce four former and current fellows and interns were recognized for their journalistic accomplishments at the recent New Mexico Press Association awards ceremony.

Congratulations to the current and former New Mexico Local News interns and fellows who were honored at the 2025 New Mexico Press Association awards ceremony!

Regina Barnett, a 2025–2026 fellow at El Defensor Chieftain, shared her team’s first-place win for General Excellence. Chieftain 

Micaela Helean, who has been a staff writer at the Rio Rancho Observer since her 2022 internship, won top honors in the General News Photo category for a picture that the judges said showed “nice emotion in this dramatic situation.” She was also honored with a second-place award for  for Best Ongoing / Continuing Coverage; the judges said her stories “hold truth to power in a digestible way.”

Jesse Jones, a 2023–2024 fellow at Valencia County News-Bulletin, shared the Sandoval Signpost’s second-place win in the Public Service category. Jesse is now a reporter for the Signpost’s sister publication, City Desk ABQ.

Azure Mitchell, 2025 intern at the Hobbs News Sun, won a first-place award in feature writing. The judges said “This is a great feature on a local personality. …[It is] well-written and includes some great quotes that make it stand out.”