Trifecta Accolade – Today tops CT mags via 3-year award tally

• Today Magazine's 3-Year SPJ Award Haul Exceeds CT Mags Collectively

Special to Today Magazine Online

Today Magazine's award tally in the 2026 Society of Professional Journalists contest isn't as impressive as the accolades Today received the previous two years. However, in the three SPJ contests from 2024 thru 2026, Today Magazine lays claim to a clear award trifecta — namely, the distinction of being the most SPJ-honored magazine in Connecticut.

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In those three years, Today Magazine has won 35 SPJ awards while other magazine brands in Connecticut have received 28 awards collectively.

The Society of Professional Journalists is among the premier journalism organizations in the United States. The Connecticut SPJ Chapter gives awards each year via its Excellence in Journalism Contest — the 2026 contest recognizes media excellence during the 2025 calendar year.

Only three state publication brands that identify as magazines in the publication title have won awards in this year's Connecticut SPJ competition: Today Magazine, Connecticut Magazine and Connecticut Voice (a title in the Seasons Magazines group).

Connecticut Magazine received two awards — a first-place and second-place honor in the Magazine Layout category — but since Today Magazine's monthly publication has been on sabbatical since December 2024, and Today therefore had no design layouts in 2025, Today Magazine Online had no entries to submit for this year's Magazine Layout category.

In previous SPJ contests, Today Magazine won six awards in the layout category: two first-place, two second-place and two third-place honors.

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Connecticut Voice and Today Magazine have each received one SPJ award in this year's competition: a first-place for Connecticut Voice in the General Column/Commentary category, and a second-place for Today in the Headlines category.

In the 2024 Connecticut SPJ Excellence in Journalism Contest, Today Magazine won 28 awards: 10 first-place, 13 second-place and five third-place. Other state magazines collectively received 12 awards in 2024 — including Connecticut Magazine, which received the second-most: five awards (all first-place).

In 2025, the Connecticut SPJ introduced a new three-division award format that replaced the previous five-division format.

In the 2025 contest, Today Magazine again won the most awards among state magazine brands, with six overall: one first-place, one second-place and four third-place. Connecticut Magazine again finished second, with four overall: two first-place, one second-place and one third-place. One other state magazine brand received an SPJ award: Seasons Magazine (one first-place).

So in the 2024 and 2025 contests, Today Magazine won 34 awards while other state magazine brands won a combined 17 awards. Yes, the math is straightforward — Today's two-year prize tally eclipsed other magazines in the Constitution State by a 2-to-1 ratio.

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"This journalistic success has certainly been gratifying and beyond my expectations," says editor-in-chief Bruce William Deckert, who doubles as Today's publisher. "My goal has always been to produce quality journalism, but to think that Today Magazine at 5 years old would surpass Connecticut Magazine by such a wide margin wasn't on my radar when I launched Today Publishing."

Today Magazine debuted in July 2019 as a rebrand of three distinct town-focused magazines, while Connecticut Magazine — the granddaddy of Connecticut newsmagazines — rebranded in 1971 after debuting as Connecticut Circle in 1938. Deckert founded the media outlet now known as Today Publishing in January 2018.

Deckert won Today's 2026 SPJ award in the Headlines category for the following headlines, linked to the story:

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Today Magazine and Today Publishing have won 75 awards in the eight Connecticut SPJ​​ contests from 2019-2026. Besides Deckert, an astounding 36 Today contributors have won SPJ awards — 33 contributing writers and three contributing photographers.

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"I'm thrilled that so many writers have received SPJ recognition for their work in Today Magazine," Deckert says. "I believe we all deserve awards — everyone on the planet — when we leverage our God-given gifts for good in our local and global communities."

Deckert has won 47 SPJ awards overall in his media career, including 15 first-place prizes. ​Where he ranks on the historical list of Connecticut SPJ award-winners is unknown — because the state chapter doesn't keep track of such records, according to an SPJ spokesperson.

The Connecticut SPJ doesn't track the awards won historically by media outlets and news organizations either, so whether Today Magazine is one of the most SPJ-decorated outlets in state history is also unknown.

Among Deckert's SPJ awards, 45 have come with Today Publishing and Today Magazine, plus two with the Journal Register Company aka JRC, where he worked as a reporter and editor from 1996 to 1999.

The JRC was the parent company for the Imprint Newspapers group that published 11 weekly papers in Greater Hartford, including four Farmington Valley towns. At that time, the JRC also owned a number of daily newspapers in Connecticut, including The Bristol Press, The Middletown Press and the New Britain Herald — those three dailies jointly produced The Herald Press on Sundays.

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Deckert served as The Herald Press editor-in-chief, The Bristol Press front-page editor and Imprint's Wethersfield Post editor, among other roles with the JRC. He subsequently worked as an editor in various roles for ESPN. com and ESPN Digital Media from 1999 to 2017 — including the copy desk, the talent-integration group and the news desk.

"For many years I worked in relative obscurity as an editor at ESPN Digital Media, because I wasn't a TV reporter or anchor and I didn't have a regular writer's byline," Deckert says.

"In my opinion, the globally known ESPN brand underutilized my God-given talents — of course, I'm still laboring in relative obscurity, especially compared with reporters at Connecticut's more well-known media outlets and TV and radio stations. However, I certainly appreciate the encouragement and recognition that the SPJ has given Today Magazine."

Today Publishing produces the digital news site Today Magazine Online and previously published a monthly magazine from October 2018 through December 2024 — the monthly Today Magazine is currently on sabbatical.

In 2025 and 2026, Today Magazine has competed in the Connecticut SPJ's Division B — one of three divisions in the award format that was newly introduced in 2025. Before the award divisions were revamped and streamlined for last year's contest, state magazines competed only against other magazines for SPJ honors, and the state's five divisions were as follows: Regional A, Regional B, Magazine, Hyperlocal and Broadcast (TV and radio stations).

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Beginning last year, the Connecticut SPJ instituted a three-division format for awards: Division A (Large) and Division B (Medium) and Division C (Small).

Division B encompasses magazines, daily newspapers and media outlets with fewer resources than those in Division A. The midsize newspapers in this group typically cover more than five towns and employ 5-10 full-time reporters.

Division B outlets include: Bristol Press, Connecticut Magazine, CT News Junkie, The Day, Hartford Business Journal, Hearst Connecticut daily newspapers, New Britain Herald, Republican-American, Seasons Magazines and Today Magazine — although Today employs fewer than five reporters.

Last year, when magazines were grouped together with newspapers and online media outlets in Division B rather than a distinct Magazine division, as in 2024, magazines in the Constitution State faced more competition for SPJ awards in terms of sheer competitor numbers. So the magazine award tally has decreased in the 2025 and 2026 contests.

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Division A encompasses media outlets of similar size and scope, regardless of medium — television and radio stations are now grouped with the largest print newspapers and online news organizations in the state rather than in a separate Broadcast division.

Division A outlets include: Connecticut Public (TV and radio), CT Mirror, Fox 61, Hartford Courant, Hearst Connecticut, NBC Connecticut, News 12 Connecticut, WFSB Connecticut (CBS affiliate) and WTNH News 8 (ABC affiliate).

Division C encompasses any media outlet or news organization that features hyperlocal news, covers no more than five towns and employs fewer than five full-time reporters — while Today Magazine employs fewer than five reporters, Today has competed for SPJ awards in Division B.

Division C outlets include: Catholic Transcript, Hearst Connecticut weekly newspapers, Litchfield County Sports, Nancy On Norwalk (Chapman Hyperlocal Media), NewCanaanite.com, New Haven Independent, Shore Publishing weekly newspapers, Valley Independent Sentinel (Naugatuck Valley) and Westport Journal.

​In this year's Connecticut SPJ​​ contest, 624 entries published or broadcast ​by 54 news organizations​ were entered across Divisions​ A​​ and B and C​, according to the SPJ spokesperson. Today Magazine asked how many media outlets​ entered ​the contest​ in each division, but the spokesperson​ said ​a tabulation by division​ isn't available​.

Established in 1909, the Society of Professional Journalists "is the nation's most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism," per the SPJ website.

The Connecticut SPJ Chapter launched in 1966. The state SPJ announced this year's awards in early May 2026. +

•​ Sources

Society of Professional Journalists: Connecticut​ SPJ Chapter​ • Today Publishing analysis of SPJ award info and data • various online media outlets • CT SPJ Contest Winners — announced May 2026

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Award News

• 2025 contest – Repeat Honor – Today tops CT mags again in SPJ awards 

• 2024 contest – Today​ Wins Most SPJ Awards ​Among ​CT Magazines

• 2023 contest – Sweet 16: More SPJ Awards For Today Magazine

• 2022 contest – Today Magazine Wins 12 More SPJ Awards

• 2021 contest – Nine More SPJ Awards For Today Magazine

Today didn't publish a news story for the 2019 and 2020 SPJ contests — Today Publishing received one award in 2019 and two in 2020

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Today Publishing produces Today Magazine Online and Today Magazine

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