The Hartford Business Journal won six national editorial excellence awards from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, including a gold award for best newspaper in the medium-sized tabloid category.
The awards were announced Tuesday night during AABP’s annual conference in Wilmington, North Carolina. AABP represents dozens of regional business publications across the U.S., Canada and Australia.
HBJ’s 2026 awards recognized work across news, features, commentary and beat reporting in the medium-sized tabloid categories.
HBJ received the following honors:
- Best Newspaper — Gold, awarded to Editor Greg Bordonaro, Web Editor Andrew Larson, and staff writers Michael Puffer, David Krechevsky, Harriet Jones and Michael Juliano
- Best Feature Story Series — Gold for CT’s Economic Competitiveness series, by Bordonaro, Larson, Puffer, Krechevsky and Jones
- Best Profile on a Person or Company — Gold for Larson’s profile of Priceline founder, serial entrepreneur Jay Walker
- Best Recurring Feature — Silver for Krechevsky’s Politics & Policy feature stories
- Best Bylined Commentary — Silver for Bordonaro’s Editor’s Take columns
- Best Beat Reporting, Real Estate — Silver for Puffer’s real estate coverage
Judges praised HBJ’s overall journalism and presentation in awarding the publication the top newspaper honor.
“Overall, the reporting offers depth and great context whether it’s covering local law firms, international student enrollment at local colleges or a Social Equity Council finding its way,” judges wrote. “Strong headlines sell the story and their relevance, and tight story leads get to the point and pull readers in.”
Judges called the CT’s Economic Competitiveness package “a must-read examination” of Connecticut’s business climate.
Larson’s “Patent King” profile earned praise for its reporting and storytelling, with judges citing the story’s insight into Priceline founder Jay Walker’s approach to innovation.
“These honors are a testament to the hard work of our newsroom and our commitment to producing high-quality, independent journalism that serves Connecticut’s business community,” Bordonaro said.
HBJ’s sister publications also took home awards. Worcester Business Journal won bronze in the medium-sized best newspaper category, and Mainebiz took silver.
