'225 Magazine' honored with 8 awards for journalism and design

August 13, 2025

225 Magazine recently claimed national and regional awards for writing, photography and design.

225 received a national award from the Society for Features Journalism’s Excellence-in-Features competition. It took home three Green Eyeshade Awards, a regional journalism competition in the Southeast judged by the Society of Professional Journalists. It also was a finalist for four Diamond Journalism Awards, a regional contest sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Arkansas Pro Chapter.

Dive into the winning stories below, all published in 2024. Congrats to all of 225‘s journalists, photographers and graphic designers!

“Piano man” by Olivia Deffes

A collection of mementos the Frugé family has saved from their dad’s time as Santa. Photo by Collin Richie

General Feature (999 words or fewer) – First Place

Society for Features Journalism

Judge’s comment: “This story flows like the music that brings so much joy and memories to so many people. It’s not a difficult piece to report – you could do it in a day – but the crafting is masterful, raising this story to a first-place win.”