Jane dreamed of escape as a child, only to wake to family betrayal. An avid runner, Aaron was in the prime of his life until a brain tumor stopped him in his tracks.

Stories of survivors and calls for action are a powerful way to build community. The stories of Jane and Aaron, shared in Ruralite magazine, were recognized in the news feature and personality feature categories in August by the National Electric Cooperatives Statewide Editors Association, also known as SEA. Two pictures, one in Florida Currents and one in Ruralite, also won national nods for Pioneer’s editorial team.

“I love that we, as a co-op, aren’t afraid to shine a light in dark places for the greater good,” says Leon Espinoza, senior vice president of content for Pioneer. “When Victoria and the Ruralite editorial team write and publish articles like ‘Giving a Voice to the Silent,’ it shows how mission-minded publications can make a real difference.”

Inside the Winning Stories

Jane and Aaron’s stories were both written by Assistant Editor Victoria Hampton.

Jane’s story, “Giving a Voice to the Silent,” which ran in January 2025, won the top prize—a Willie—for best news feature. By framing sex trafficking through the story of a 6-year-old girl trafficked by her family for drugs, the feature gives crime victims a voice and calls on readers to help.

“This piece was a master class on how illustrate the deep challenges of human trafficking with sensitivity while still shedding light on the personal horrors of one woman’s experience,” a judge said. “You also pulled the reader deeper into the story by offering ways they can help. Excellent.”

“There is so much power in a few people coming together and advocating for change,” Victoria says. “What an incredible ripple effect this type of action can have in small communities and beyond. I’ve thought about this at least once a week since finishing the article. Human trafficking is much more nuanced and complicated than I could have ever imagined.”

Aaron’s story, “Keeping Time,” from May 2025, won an award of excellence for best personality feature.

“Keeping Time” follows a runner and musician, Aaron Reed. When a seizure and discovery of a brain tumor hit the 42-year-old, he took the diagnosis in stride. Then he pushed himself through surgery and recovery. Six months later he competed in an ultramarathon.

“A wonderful lead sets a pace, a beat and rhythm in introducing readers to an ultrarunner with a stamina of body and mind in an inspiring and well-told story,” said one judge.

Picture Pages

In the Best Scenic/Pictorial Photo category, Pioneer won two awards for pictures shared with Florida Currents and Ruralite readers:

• Award of Excellence: “Florida Inspiration” by Jimmy Daniels, July 2024
• Award of Merit: “New Life,” by Dave LaBelle, May 2025

“Florida Inspiration,” featured the story of North Florida photographer Jimmy Daniels. His pictures bring history to the forefront in captivating ways—an abandoned plantation home, a tree canopy above clay road banks, a half-sunken oyster boat battered by the Gulf Coast sun.

“There are no more old oyster boats around,” Jimmy says. “Rural America is being lost, culture is changing in front of our eyes and people aren’t seeing it. It’s important to remember what we had.”

His image of a shrimp boat resting aground on Cape San Blas, Florida, under the night sky won honors from SEA.

“Sometimes things just work out and the stars align,” he said about the shot.

Catching the stars is a matter of setting up the shot and waiting for the right conditions. The other winning picture framed a fleeting moment of love.

“Important photographs almost always have moments, such as the second that one person, or in this case, an animal, interacts with another,” said one judge about Dave’s winning image, “New Life.” “This photograph has a lot going on. First, the interaction between mother and fawn. Second, the framing of the deer between the greenery. Great moment.”

“I’m incredibly proud of our team’s dedication to storytelling that truly matters,” says Pioneer Editorial Director Chasity Anderson. “From Victoria’s sensitive approach to difficult subjects like human trafficking and serious medical obstacles to Dave’s ability to capture fleeting moments of beauty, every story we publish reflects the heart and soul our entire team pours into their work. Whether it’s the initial writing, photography, design or careful editing, each person brings their passion to creating stories that resonate with our readers and make a real difference in our communities.”

What’s SEA?

The National Electric Cooperatives Statewide Editors Association supports electric cooperative statewide consumer publications and the people who produce them through training and education activities. SEA represents 32 statewide magazines, including Ruralite, Currents, Louisiana Country and Florida Currents.

In all, 385 stories and pictures were entered into the 2025 competition. Other winners include the Utility Pioneers at Alabama Living, Arkansas Living, Carolina Country, Colorado Country Life, Illinois Country Living, Kentucky Living, North Dakota Living, Ohio Cooperative Living, Oklahoma Living, Penn Lines, Rural Missouri, Rural Montana, South Carolina Living, Texas Co-op Power and Today in Mississippi.

The annual awards are nicknamed the Willies, a tribute to the legendary cooperative mascot Willie Wiredhand. The awards honor excellence in publication design, writing, illustration, photography and this year included a wild-card category for entries that may not fit one category. Learn more at sea.coop.

About Pioneer Utility Resources

Pioneer is a not-for-profit communications cooperative based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Formed in 1956, it provides agency-style communications services to consumer-owned utilities, broadband providers and affiliated organizations in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

Marquee products and services include 11 consumer magazine brands, reaching more than 1.5 million U.S. utility households. The cooperative also provides broadband marketing, social media engagement, responsive website design and hosting, podcast production and custom communications services. Pioneer is built to share members’ stories.

Pioneer also owns Efficiency Services Group, which specializes in support and installation services for utility energy-efficiency efforts, primarily in the West, and NewsData, which publishes industry-leading, independent newsletters covering the utility sector in California and the Pacific Northwest. Pioneer is also the largest shareholder in General Pacific, a Fairview, Oregon-based electric supply company. Learn more at pioneer.coop.