Essay contest to earn winner a cornerstone of the Fourth Estate

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If you have the passion for writing, journalistic integrity, good business acumen, and want the opportunity to pursue the noble profession of being a newspaper publisher in the majestic hills, valleys and mountains of Vermont, here's an essay contest for you.

  • Grand and only prize: The Hardwick Gazette, located in Hardwick, Vermont.
  • Entry fee: $175
  • Essay guidelines: 400 words or less about the entrant's skills and vision for owning a paid weekly newspaper in the new millennium.

First published in 1889, The Hardwick Gazette was bought by Ross Connelly and his late wife, Susan Jarzyna, in 1986. Ready for retirement, he wants to assure the newspaper lives on by holding this contest to find the new owner.

"We want to hear from people who can hold up a mirror in which local citizens can see themselves and gain insights into the lives within their communities," says Connelly. "We want to hear from people with a passion for local stories that are important, even in the absence of scandal and sensationalism. We want to hear from people who recognize social media is not the same as a local newspaper. The winner of his contest will demonstrate this is a business that employs local people, that keeps the money we earn in the communities we cover, that is here week after week because the people who live here are important."

Under Connelly's leadership The Hardwick Gazette has won numerous awards as a respected and vital source of news, occurrences and opinion for the people of Hardwick and nine surrounding towns.

The contest winner will assume ownership of The Hardwick Gazette, the historic Main Street building where the newspaper has been published for over 100 years, and equipment and proprietary materials necessary to operate the business. *The Hardwick Gazette is printed offsite by a regional press not owned by the newspaper. 

For more information on the contest, click here.

Vermont, Hardwick
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