The Iowa Newspaper Association named The Daily Iowan as Iowa’s 2025 Newspaper of the Year. The award is presented to the publication that accumulates the most points from placing first, second, or third in individual contests. Notable first-place finishes for the DI include Coverage of Government and Politics, Best Front Page, and Best Sports Section. Other community newspapers owned by Student Publications Inc. also had strong showings at the contest. The Solon Economist won General Excellence as the best small weekly paper in the state, and The Mount Vernon Lisbon-Sun placed third in General Excellence in mid-sized weeklies. Both of these publications were purchased by the DI last January. You can view the full list of first-place finishes here.