Inside Seven Days

Seven Days won more editorial awards than any other publication in the region at the 2025 New England Newspaper Convention in Portland, Maine, on March 29. The competition, hosted by the New England Newspaper & Press Association, honors outstanding work by newspapers and online news outlets.

Read on for a list of our first-place finishers. In most cases, Seven Days competed against other large-circulation weeklies. We’re very grateful to NENPA for the recognition — and to the advertisers and Super Readers who support our work!

1st Place Awards

Arts & Entertainment Reporting
Chelsea Edgar, for “Circus of Life”

Crime and Courts Reporting
Derek Brouwer and Colin Flanders, for “From Room 37 to Cell 17”

General News Story
Seven Days Staff, for “Totally Transfixed”

Racial, Ethnic or Gender Issue Coverage
Rachel Hellman, for “Taking Refuge”

Education Reporting
Anne Wallace Allen, for “Pass or Fail?”

Local Personality Profile
Courtney Lamdin, for “Armed With a Video Camera, One Man Documents Crime and Disorder in Burlington”

Investigative / Enterprise Reporting
Joe Sexton, for “The Loss of Grace”

Climate change or weather reporting
Ken Picard, for “On Thin Ice”

News Video
Eva Sollberger, for “Plainfield Recovers From Catastrophic Flood”
Event Special Section
Seven Days Staff, for “Where the Sun Don’t Shine: Seven Days Guide to the 2024 Solar Eclipse”

Food Page or Section
Melissa Pasanen and Jordan Barry, for the food section in the November 15, 2023, issue

Spot News Video
Eva Sollberger, for “‘Stuck in Vermont’ During the Eclipse"

Overall Design and Presentation
Seven Days Design Team, for “Totally Transfixed”

Headline Writing
Seven Days Staff, for Best Headlines

The Vermont Community Foundation is proud to announce a new partnership with Seven Days to recognize and support the incredible work of Vermont’s nonprofit community. This year, in celebration of the Seven Daysies award for Best Nonprofit, the Foundation will award a $10,000 grant to the winning organization.

“Nonprofits across Vermont are doing the kind of work that holds communities together — often quietly, always with heart,” said Dan Smith, president & CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. “What makes this recognition so meaningful is that it comes from Vermonters themselves. The community decides who receives this honor, and we’re proud to stand beside Seven Days in shining a light on the organization that so many people have chosen to lift up. This grant is one way we can help their good work go even further.”

“Kudos to the Vermont Community Foundation for hatching — and funding! — a fun, creative way to draw attention to the good works of Vermont’s nonprofit sector. This $10,000 award will go a long way to help nonprofits trying to make this a better place,” Seven Days publisher Paula Routly said. “The campaign also artfully underscores how local media brings and holds our community together.”

Vermonters: Let’s Vote!

Nominate your favorite nonprofit during the Seven Daysies nomination round, April 9-28 at sevendaysvt.com/daysies-vote. Only the top nominees in each category will move on to the final voting round, so it’s important to show your support early! The Seven Daysies Awards are presented by Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman.

Once the winner is announced, the Vermont Community Foundation will present a $10,000 grant to help that nonprofit continue and expand its work. It’s a powerful way to turn local appreciation into real, lasting support for the organizations that help Vermont thrive.

Who Is Eligible for the Seven Daysies for Best Nonprofit?

Organizations must be located in Vermont and tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Nonprofit organizations or community groups that do not have 501(c)(3) status may be eligible if another tax-exempt organization acts as a fiscal sponsor.

Nonprofits: Register to Be Recognized

To boost your visibility during the nomination period, be sure to register your organization in advance.

Key Dates

• April 9–28: Nomination Round (Round 1)
• May 6: Finalists Announced
• May 27–June 10: Final Voting (Round 2)
• July 30: Winners Announced in All the Best
• August 1: Seven Daysies Awards Party, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
  
  

The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) was established in 1986 as an enduring source of philanthropic support for Vermont communities. A family of more than 1,000 funds, foundations and supporting organizations, the Foundation helps people who care about Vermont find and fund the causes they love. With more than $60 million granted annually, VCF is committed to building stronger communities through enduring philanthropy. Learn more at vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355. Give where your heart lives.

Seven Days has been named Newspaper of the Year by the New England Newspaper & Press Association. The award, which lauds the top large-circulation weekly in the region, was presented at the organization’s fall conference in Providence, R.I.

NENPA also gave out 14 “Publick Occurrences” awards — named for the first newspaper in the British colonies — that celebrate individual and team merit. Seven Days won five of them, more than any other news outlet in New England.

We’re honored and moved by this recognition. Thanks to all of our readers, advertisers and donors who made it possible!

Here’s some of what the NENPA judges had to say:

About “The Loss of Grace” by Joe Sexton:

“The opening grafs and their descriptive detail in this piece preview the well-crafted narrative that helps make this a compelling read despite its length. This absorbing tale combines emotionally draining human interest elements with hard-nosed reporting that shines light on a deficient, if not inhumane, system for treating troubled youths.”

About “From Room 37 to Cell 17” by Derek Brouwer and Colin Flanders:

“The writers have done a remarkable job in making the reader sympathize with the young man, who has been charged with murder but is pleading insanity. This is a thoughtful, well-researched and highly readable account of a man with mental illness who can’t seem to get adequate help.”

About “Getting On” by Seven Days Staff:

“The ‘This Old State’ series takes a comprehensive, long-overdue look at the aging population in Vermont, and the ramifications — everything from an 82-year-old U.S. senator, to the importance of an aging workforce, to lack of transportation, and the effects of loneliness ... This was a deep, engaging look at one of the major issues our society faces.”

About “Vermont’s Relapse” by Colin Flanders:

“We were spellbound by ‘Vermont’s Relapse.’ This masterfully crafted article rocked us with revelations. It performed a public service in explaining so clearly, with fascinating detail but no lecturing, how the drug scourge has evolved from heroin to animal tranquilizers, meth and fentanyl.”

About “The Fight for Decker Towers” by Derek Brouwer:

“Derek Brouwer’s perceptive fly-on-the-wall reporting gave a voice to people who are seldom heard and often ignored by the government. This is journalism that matters … Brouwer’s superb reporting — along with James Buck’s photos — thoroughly documents the plight of elderly and disabled residents of Decker Towers who are besieged by drug users and lawbreaking squatters.”

Seven Days took home five first-place awards at the recent Association of Alternative Newsmedia conference in Charleston, S.C. — more than any other paper in the competition. We’re proud of our writers and grateful to AAN! Thanks to our readers, advertisers and financial supporters for making this work possible.

1st  Place Winners

David Carr Award for Investigative Reporting
“The Loss of Grace: In Vermont’s Juvenile Lockup, a Girl Endured Violence and Isolation. She Wasn’t the Only One. And It Was No Secret,” by Joe Sexton

Judge’s comment: “… this comes out on top because of its deep research, exquisite writing and emotional impact. Often in investigative journalism, as with the X-Files, ‘The truth is out there.’ But even when much is in view in scattered places, an effort like this still must find it, make connections and do the additional reporting to see the entire complex story, make sure it is ironclad, and tell it with the deftness that allows readers to not only understand, but feel it. What resulted was a deeply moving wake-up call to Vermont that society’s struggles with mental health, troubled children, governmental malfeasance, and broken lives is not someplace else’s problem. Yes, it can happen here — and did.”

Jim Ridley Award for Arts Criticism
Stories by Margot Harrison, including:
“Book Review: If It Sounds Like a Quack... A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine, Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling”
“Film Review: Anatomy of a Fall”
“Book Review: Revenge of the Scapegoat, Caren Beilin”

Judge’s comment: “This writing is so compelling that I’m set to watch a French movie and I quit reading to order the If It Sounds Like a Quack… A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine book.”

News Story
“Vermont’s Relapse: Efforts to Address Opioid Addiction Were Starting to Work. Then Potent New Street Drugs Arrived,” by Colin Flanders

Judge’s comment: “This is a meticulously reported piece that painstakingly and heartbreakingly lays out the monumental challenges associated with drug abuse. Every new subheading of the story revealed another eye-opening set of facts about how the ever-growing problem has touched some aspect of your community — from the addiction service agencies, to cold-weather shelters to the local Little League field. The weaving in of personal stories from Amanda, Kelly, Tyler and the others added the human element that pulled everything together and gave the piece heart beyond the necessary [interviews] with law enforcement, legal people and addiction specialists. I appreciated the use of hard data throughout.”

Right-Wing Extremism Coverage
“A Chilling New Documentary With Vermont Connections Chronicles the Growing Threat of Radicalized U.S. Military Veterans,” by Ken Picard

Multimedia
“Stuck in Vermont: Peter Harrigan Collected 600 Barbie Dolls in 30 Years, With Support From His Husband, Stan Baker, Who Collects Ken Dolls,” by Eva Sollberger

Judge’s comment: “Lovely story that isn’t just about a WHOLE LOT of dolls, it’s also about the men behind the collection and their role in Vermont history. Nicely done.”

Seven Days won 18 first-place awards at the annual New England Newspaper & Press Association convention March 22-23 in Waltham, Mass. The awards presentation honored work published by the region’s daily and weekly newspapers, online news sites and specialty publications between August 1, 2022, and July 31, 2023.

Read on for a list of our first-place finishers. In most cases, Seven Days competed against other large-circulation weeklies; the exceptions have been noted below. We’re very grateful to NENPA for the recognition — and to the advertisers and Super Readers who support our work!

Want to join them? Become a Super Reader by making a financial contribution at sevendaysvt.com/super-reader.

1st Place Awards

* 1st place across all NENPA members

Best niche publication
Overall design and presentation of a special section
All the Best: The Locals’ Guide to Vermont, 2022

Business/economic reporting
Ken Picard, “Working on the Railroad: How Family-Owned Vermont Rail System Became the Little Economic Engine That Could”

Combating misinformation and restoring trust*
Paula Routly and Cathy Resmer, “From the Publisher” and “From the Deputy Publisher” columns

Entertainment video*
Eva Sollberger, “Stuck in Vermont: Peter Harrigan Collected 600 Barbie Dolls in 30 Years, With Support From His Husband, Stan Baker, Who Collects Ken Dolls” Environmental reporting
Kevin McCallum, “Lake Advocates Say Vermont Has Botched Regulating Pollution on Dairy Farms”

Feature video
Eva Sollberger, “Stuck in Vermont: Meet Earl & Jackson Ransom and Amy Huyffer of Strafford Organic Creamery at Rockbottom Farm”
Health reporting
Colin Flanders, “Vermont’s Relapse: Efforts to Address Opioid Addiction Were Starting to Work. Then Potent New Street Drugs Arrived.”

History reporting
Steve Goldstein, “Decades After He Was Killed in World War II, a Hinesburg Soldier Is Restored to His Family”

Human interest feature
Seven Days staff, “On the Road: What Route 100 Says About Vermont”

Local personality profile
Chelsea Edgar, “The Conversation Artist: Podcaster Erica Heilman Seeks the Meaning of Life, One Interview at a Time”

News video
Eva Sollberger, “Stuck in Vermont: Catastrophic Flooding in Vermont”
Obituaries
Colin Flanders, “End of an Era: Peter Miller, Who Photographed Vermont’s ‘Simple People Living Simple Lives,’ Dies at 89”

Overall design and presentation of a print newspaper
Seven Days staff, “The Quebéc Issue” and “‘Historic and Catastrophic’”

Photo series*
Spot news story
Seven Days staff, “‘Historic and Catastrophic’: Unrelenting Rain Swamped Vermont’s Cities, Towns and Hamlets. The Recovery Is Just Beginning.”

Sports feature story
Steve Goldstein, “Woman Wonder: The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Recognizes Stowe Adventurer Jan Reynolds”

Sports story
Ken Picard, “True Grit: Gravel Biking in Vermont Is Gaining Traction and Building Community”

Seven Days took home four first-place awards at the July Association of Alternative Newsmedia convention in Dallas, tying for the most wins with the Chicago Reader and the Willamette Week of Portland, Ore. We’re proud and grateful. Thanks, AAN! And thanks to our readers and advertisers for making our local journalism possible.

1st Place Winners

Cover Design
Diane Sullivan, Rick Veitch, Luke Awtry, Harry Bliss

Judge’s comment: “From the standpoint of what a cover should do (engage readers, draw attention, highlight key content, be consistent across issues while providing different material), this [entry] has it all. The talents of so many artists, photographers, designers and writers are on display here, a symphony of delight that compelled readers to look inside.”

Right-Wing Extremism Coverage
“Capitol Offense: Nicholas Languerand’s Quest for ‘Belonging’ Led Him to QAnon, the Insurrection — and Now Prison” by Derek Brouwer and Colin Flanders

Judge’s comment: “Far more than a highly nuanced and deeply reported profile (which it is), “Capitol Offense” also deftly captures the many shades of gray that make the events of January 6 so hard to reconcile across the political spectrum, not only for those on the ideological fringes but at many points in between. The result is one of the best examples of journalists capturing a confusing, contradictory, and often inscrutable period of our nation’s history and reflecting it back to the reader with something that is all too rare these days — clarity and a measured degree of compassion that allows us to better understand Nicholas Languerand, and others like him, without needing to agree with him. Derek Brouwer and Colin Flanders display mastery of their subject and an economy of language that lends this piece a quiet confidence that easily places it at the top of its category. Outstanding work by all involved.”

Feature Story
“Flower Powerhouse: Melinda Moulton Has Blended Business Savvy and a Hippie Ethos to Transform Burlington” by Ken Picard

Judge’s comment: “A beautifully written and thoroughly reported story that held my interest from beginning to end. Not only did it capture how one woman transformed a town, but it showed you her heart and soul, too.”
Multimedia
“How Not to Get Stuck in the Mud in East Barnard with John Leavitt and The Crier” a “Stuck in Vermont” video by Eva Sollberger
Judge’s comment: “Excellent piece. The storytelling, photography and editing make this story suitable for a PBS special … The squishy mud photography makes me feel like I was right there with you.”

2nd Place Winners

Editorial Layout
“On the Road: What Route 100 Says About Vermont” by Diane Sullivan

Explanatory Journalism
“Locked Out: Vermont’s Housing Crisis” by Matthew Roy, Anne Wallace Allen, Derek Brouwer, Rachel Hellman, Courtney Lamdin, Colin Flanders, Chelsea Edgar, Kevin McCallum

Election Coverage
“Becca Balint’s Campaign for U.S. House” by Sasha Goldstein

Column
“Life Stories by Sally Pollak” by Sally Pollak

Cartoon
Tim Newcomb

3rd Place Winners

Explanatory Journalism
“Working on the Railroad: How Family-Owned Vermont Rail System Became the Little Economic Engine That Could” by Ken Picard

Election Coverage
“In the August 9 Primary, Democratic Candidates Compete for the Jackpot: Vermont’s Lone U.S. House Seat” by Chelsea Edgar

Health Care Reporting
“A Vermont Drug Company’s Failure to Maintain Standards Led to Recalls — and Its Demise” by Colin Flanders

Special Section
“All the Best: Seven Daysies 2022” by Seven Days staff

Food Writing
Jordan Barry

Multimedia
“Seven Days Aloud: Capitol Offense: Nicholas Languerand’s Quest for ‘Belonging’ Led Him to QAnon, the Insurrection — and Now Prison” by Derek Brouwer, Colin Flanders, Jeff Baron

Arts Feature
“The Next Stage: After Four Years of Turmoil and Transition, the Flynn Enters a New Era” by Dan Bolles

Beat Reporting
Alison Novak

Honorable Mention

LGBTQ+ Coverage
“Women’s Rights Advocate Peggy Luhrs Leaves Behind a Complicated Legacy” by Chelsea Edgar

Illustration
“All the Best” by Jeff Drew

Multimedia
“Seven Days Aloud: With ‘GUMBO,’ Rapper and DJ Fattie B Unites a Scene and Makes the Record of His Life” by Chris Farnsworth, Jeff Baron

Seven Days won 20 first-place awards — more than any other media outlet — at the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA) convention in Waltham, Mass., last weekend competing against other large-circulation weeklies. We're honored by this recognition. Thanks to our talented staff — and to the Super Readers, sponsors and advertisers who fund our work!

1st Place Awards

Arts and Entertainment Reporting
Chris Farnsworth, "Origin Story: How Burlington's Earth Prime Comics Helped Unite Vermont's Comics Lovers"

Business/Economic Reporting
Derek Brouwer & Sasha Goldstein, "Betting Big on Weed: Hopeful Vermont Cannabis Players See Green in the Coming Retail Market"

Combatting Misinformation and Restoring Trust
Paula Routly, "From the Publisher"

Education Reporting
Alison Novak, "Local Commotion: National Divisions on Race and Equity Are Roiling Vermont School Boards"

Entertainment Video
Eva Sollberger, Stuck in Vermont: Huntington Road Foreman Clinton "Yogi" Alger Gets Two Namesake Snowplows
Environmental Reporting
Kevin McCallum, "Wildlife Wars: Animal Defenders Struggle to Change Hunting and Trapping Traditions in Vermont"

Event Special Section
Emily Hamilton, "The Magnificent 14"

Food Page or Section
Melissa Pasanen, Jordan Barry and Maggie Reynolds, June 2022

General News Story – Two First-Place Wins!

• Matthew Roy, "House Impossible: How the Real Estate Rush and Other Factors Have Pushed Homeownership Out of Reach for Many Vermonters"
• Derek Brouwer, "Renters' Prison: How a Merciless Market of Unchecked Rent Hikes Traps Vermont Tenants"

Government Reporting
Anne Wallace Allen, "Democracy How? The Pandemic Has Weakened — but Not Killed — Vermont’s Grand Town Meeting Day Tradition"

Health Reporting
Colin Flanders & Chelsea Edgar, "The Doctor Won’t See You Now: Patients Wait Months for Treatment at Vermont’s Biggest Hospital"

Local Election Coverage
Sasha Goldstein & Chelsea Edgar, the race for Vermont's solo seat in the U.S. House of Representatives

Personality Profile
Ken Picard, "A Precipitous Drop: The Firing of Skiing Legend John Egan Leaves Many Die-Hard Downhillers Soured on Sugarbush"

Overall Design Presentation
Kirsten Thompson & Carolyn Fox, Staytripper

Sports Feature – Two First Place Wins!

• Chris Farnsworth, "Go With the Flo: Senior Olympian Flo Meiler Shares Her Secrets to Staying Fit"
• Melissa Pasanen, "Fishing for Serenity: A Former Chef Finds Peace and a New Career in Fly-Fishing"

Feature Video
Eva Sollberger, "Stuck in Vermont: Juniper Creative Arts Paint Community Murals with Students in the NEK"

Sports Video
Eva Sollberger, "Stuck in Vermont: South Burlington Bus Driver Steve Rexford Is Part of the Team"

Photo Story
James Buck, "‘We’re Nobodies’: Residents Describe Life at Burlington’s Notorious Homeless Encampment"

Vermont has a national reputation for its snow sports and craft beer. But the state is also home to numerous innovative tech companies that make everything from underwater robots to battery-powered aircraft. And they’re hiring.

You can interact with dozens of these companies at the next Vermont Tech Jam, an annual career and tech expo on Saturday, October 22. Organized since 2008 by the newsweekly Seven Days, with help from the Vermont Technology Alliance, the Jam showcases some of Vermont’s most inventive enterprises at Hula, a coworking campus on the Burlington waterfront.

This year’s free event, presented by Marvell and Hula, starts with a one-of-a-kind job fair, where job seekers, college students, career changers and other professionals can mingle and talk tech. Vermont colleges and technical programs will also be exhibiting at the event. And the Jam includes a daylong robotics demo zone where members of Vermont’s FIRST robotics community display their creations and explain this unique opportunity to help cultivate the next generation of Vermont innovators.

The career fair, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is followed by a 4 p.m. keynote presentation from Boston Scientific cofounder John Abele and Sarah Kalil, CEO of the promising Vermont-based bioscience company CoreMap.

Abele, a Shelburne resident, helped build Boston Scientific into a company worth billions. Now he’s investing in up-and-coming new technologies, and mentoring entrepreneurs like Kalil. CoreMap is based on years of groundbreaking medical research on atrial fibrillation led by University of Vermont Medical Center’s Dr. Peter Spector; Kalil, a native Vermonter, is helping bring his innovations to market. Their company recently secured $23 million in financing.

The Vermont Tech Jam is sponsored by an array of Vermont companies and organizations committed to supporting the local tech ecosystem: Hula, Marvell, Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman, Vermont Information Processing, Vermont Tech Council, Mascoma, Data Innovations, Norwich University, Health Plans Inc., the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Vermont Technology Alliance, WCAX and Vermont Biz.

For more information, a complete schedule and a list of exhibitors, visit techjamvt.com.

Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent newsweekly, won six first-place awards at the annual Association of Alternative Newsmedia conference last week at the Medill School of Journalism in downtown Chicago

The AAN Awards recognize work that is "well-written, incisively reported and effectively challenges established orthodoxies."AAN member publications vary in size and circulation, and are based in cities across the continent; the awards contest gives these publications the opportunity to compete against their peers.

1st Place Awards

Melissa Pasanen
From the judges: “Writing that reflects the local food scene beyond its dining rooms.”

LGBT Coverage
Chelsea Edgar, "Vermont Has Endangered Transgender Prisoners. Change Is Coming — but Is It Enough?"
From the judges: “Strong reporting on a topic that gets too little attention.”

Multimedia
Eva Sollberger, "A new Era for the House of LeMay"
From the judges: “This was excellent storytelling; it actually reminded me of something I’d see on CBS Sunday Morning.”
Photography
James Buck, "We’re Nobodies’: Residents Describe Life at Burlington’s Notorious Homeless Encampment"
From the judges: “Powerful photojournalism that tells an important story, humanely, with dignity for photo subjects.”
Cartoon
Tim Newcomb
From the Judges:“One entry nudges boundaries for liberal audience. Not always preaching to choir. Nice move.”

2nd Place Awards

Nonprofit Collaboration
Derek Brouwer, Liam Elder-Connors, "Roaches and Broken Locks: Mark and Rick Bove’s Growing Empire of Affordable Rentals Vexes Code Enforcers"
From the judges: “Evidence of how newsrooms can be competitive and still work together on the big stuff that matters to the people they serve.”

Beat Reporting
Colin Flanders
From the judges: “Strong writing and great breadth of health issues covered”

Health Care Reporting
Colin Flanders, Chelsea Edgar, "The Doctor Won’t See You Now: Patients Wait Months for Treatment at Vermont’s Biggest Hospital"
From the judges: “This is important reporting on how the system is broken even under normal circumstances. Seven Days brings out excellent reporting to help make change.”

News Story - Long Form
Chelsea Edgar, "Vermont Publishing House Chelsea Green Is Peddling Coronavirus Misinformation"
From the judges: “In less capable hands, the article would have been filled with cheap shots. But the author knows that deep reporting is the best way to pursue truth.”

Illustration
Sean Metcalf
From the judges: “An illustration in this context should provide additional meaning to the story. Does it…? The answer here is emphatically YES.”

Arts Feature
Dan Bolles, "The Producer | Joshua Sherman spearheads an arts-led revitalization in Norman Rockwell’s Arlington"
From the judges: “Compelling human interest story that connects current development with its place in history.”

3rd Place Awards

Arts Criticism
Margot Harrison
From the judges: “A book reviewer to follow.”

Looking for some educational family fun this summer — and a chance to win a free trip to Washington, D.C.? Help the kids in your life take the Good Citizen Challenge, an interactive, nonpartisan civics activity. It recognizes and rewards participants for learning about their communities, keeping up with local news and taking action to help others.

Organized by Seven Days and its parenting publication Kids VT — with help from the Vermont Historical Society and the Vermont Community Foundation — the nonpartisan Good Citizen Challenge is open to all K-12 students.

This summer’s Challenge is timed to coincide with an exhibit at the Vermont History Museum, opening July 3, that explores the life and work of the first commercial globe-maker in the Americas, James Wilson of Bradford; he made his first globe in 1810. Wilson’s globes helped people in the U.S. understand more about the world and their place in it.

This summer’s Good Citizen Challenge includes 25 activities, such as:

• Visiting the Vermont History Museum (participants and their families get in free)
• Reading an issue of a local community newspaper
• Searching for the deed for a property
• Writing a poem or making a piece of art about Vermont’s state motto: Freedom and Unity
• Listening to a podcast from Vermont Public Radio
• Using Front Porch Forum to organize a donation drive for a charity
• Having a respectful conversation with someone who has opposing views

Participants must complete at least five activities in a row on the bingo-like Challenge scorecard, then upload a photo of the completed scorecard, along with contact information and evidence of their work, to goodcitizenvt.com. All who finish five activities in a row will receive a Good Citizen sticker and patch, a pocket constitution donated by Phoenix Books, and an invitation to a VIP reception at the Vermont State House in Montpelier this fall. They will also be entered into a drawing for an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. from Milne Travel, a new globe, a gift card to Phoenix Books and other prizes. There is no cost to enter.
A Challenge scorecard can be found in the Summer issue of Kids VT, which is inserted into the May 18 issue of Seven Days; Kids VT is available all season long at drop off locations in Northwestern Vermont. Participants can also download the scorecard at goodcitizenvt.com, or pick one up at the Vermont History Museum. The deadline to enter is Labor Day, September 5.

Seven Days and Kids VT organized the first Good Citizen Challenge in 2018 to raise awareness of civics education and help bridge the partisan divide; the most recent Challenge took place during the 2020-2021 school year. More than 400 K-12 students from 43 Vermont towns participated.

“We know from surveying past participants that kids who complete the Good Citizen Challenge learn new things about Vermont history, feel more connected to their communities and are more aware of local news,” said Good Citizen Challenge creator Cathy Resmer, deputy publisher of Seven Days and editor of Kids VT. “Helping your kids take the Good Citizen Challenge is a great way to prompt conversations about what it means to be an informed and responsible citizen. And it gives parents and camp directors ideas for fun day trips or rainy day projects.”

Partners in this summer’s Good Citizen Challenge also include VPR and Vermont PBS, Front Porch Forum and the Vermont State House. Phoenix Books is donating pocket-sized U.S. constitutions as well as gift cards to be used for prizes.

“We’re excited to partner with Seven Days and Kids VT on this Good Citizen challenge to get everyone out and exploring our wonderful state,” said Amanda Kay Gustin, director of collections and access for the Vermont Historical Society. “Learning history is crucial to understanding the world around you, and we hope to see many participants at the Vermont History Museum this summer.”
Said Scott Finn, CEO of VPR and Vermont PBS: "We're thrilled to partner with Seven Days on this initiative, which makes civics fun and real for young people. It strengthens Democracy, in the same way our reporting does."

“Front Porch Forum is delighted to support the Good Citizen Challenge again in 2022,” said Front Porch Forum’s cofounder and CEO, Michael Wood-Lewis. “Helping neighbors connect and build community is more important than ever. The Challenge is a great way to learn about the world, connect with others — and make Vermont a little better along the way. Thank you, Seven Days!”

Find more information and a Challenge scorecard at goodcitizenvt.com.