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HNOC Receives Honors at 2026 New Orleans Press Club Awards

July 22, 2026

Best Blog among four awards received by HNOC staff in communications, publications, and curatorial departments.

HNOC staff members Terri Simon, Erin M. Greenwald, PhD, Kelley Hines, and Nick Weldon pose for a photo as they accept awards at the 2026 New Orleans Press Club Awards.

On Saturday, July 18, HNOC took home four titles at the 2026 New Orleans Press Club Awards (NOPC), led by Interim Director of Publications Nick Weldon. Each year, the honors are determined by a national panel of judges representing press clubs throughout the country and are announced at NOPC’s annual Excellence in Journalism Awards Gala.

HNOC’s First Draft Blog took 1st Place for Best Blog, its second year in a row claiming the top spot. Honorees included Terri Simon, editor; Molly Reid Cleaver, managing editor of communications; and Ryan Kreiser, web content developer.

HNOC staff members Terri Simon, Erin M. Greenwald, PhD, Kelley Hines, and Nick Weldon pose for a photo as they accept awards at the 2026 New Orleans Press Club Awards.
Left to right: Terri Simon, editor; Erin M. Greenwald, PhD, deputy director; Kelley Hines, associate curator; Nick Weldon, interim director of publications.

The remaining three awards were received for articles published on the blog. Nick Weldon won 1st Place in Governmental/Political Reporting for “Louisiana v. Voting Rights, Then and Now” and 2nd Place in Serious Feature Reporting for “Into the Heart of the Beast.” Associate Curator Kelley Hines earned 3rd Place in Environmental/Science Reporting for “Grass Roots.”

Learn more about the 2026 New Orleans Press Club Awards here and read the award-winning posts below!

Award-Winning Posts

A black-and-white photo of a man wearing a fedora and holding a shotgun standing at the edge of a porch, silhouetted against the porch light behind him.

Louisiana v. Voting Rights, Then and Now

With a Louisiana redistricting case on the Supreme Court’s 2025–26 docket, the Voting Rights Act is once again under scrutiny. It’s not the first time Louisiana has tested the boundaries of the franchise.

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A black and white photo shows Freedom Riders Julia Aaron Humbles and David Dennis sitting near two armed National Guardsmen on a bus from Montgomery, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi in May of 1961.

Into the Heart of the Beast

As the 1961 Freedom Rides transfixed the nation, New Orleans civil rights activists played a crucial role.

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Grass Roots

The native plants of Louisiana’s coast form a vital part of the region’s ecosystem and cultures.

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First Draft Blog

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