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

• Today Magazine Exceeds All Connecticut Mags in 3-Year SPJ Award Haul

Special to Today Magazine Online

Today Magazine's award tally in the 2026 Society of Professional Journalists contest isn't nearly 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 the clear trifecta distinction of being the most SPJ-honored magazine in Connecticut.

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In those three calendar years, Today Magazine has won 35 SPJ awards while all other magazines in Connecticut have received 28 awards, based on Today Publishing analysis of SPJ award data.

A case can be made that the Society of Professional Journalists is the premier journalism organization 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 Connecticut magazines have won awards in 2026 in the Connecticut SPJ's Division B: Connecticut Magazine, Connecticut Voice and Today Magazine.

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 layouts in 2025, Today Magazine Online had no entries to submit for this year's Magazine Layout category.

In previous SPJ contests, Today editor-in-chief Bruce William Deckert has 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 each received one award: a first-place for Connecticut Voice in the General Column/Commentary category, and a second-place for Today in the Headlines category.

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

Beginning last year, the Connecticut SPJ instituted a three-division format for awards: Division A (Large) and Division B (Medium) and Division C (Small) — in the 2026 contest, the nomenclature has been simplified to Division A, Division B and Division C.

The Division B group encompasses magazines, daily newspapers and similar media outlets with fewer resources than those in Division A. These midsize newspapers 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 and Today Magazine — although Today Magazine doesn't employ 5-10 full-time reporters.

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The Connecticut SPJ's 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 in the five-division award format noted above with the .

Naturally, when magazines were grouped together with newspapers and online media outlets in Division B rather than in a distinct Magazine division, magazines in the Constitution State faced more competition for SPJ awards in terms of sheer competitor numbers, and the award tally for Connecticut's magazines dropped dramatically in the 2025 contest.

In the 2024 Connecticut SPJ Excellence in Journalism Contest, honoring outstanding media work in the 2023 calendar year, Today Magazine won a whopping 28 awards — 10 first-place, 13 second-place and five third-place. Other state magazines collectively received 12 awards in 2024, with Connecticut Magazine receiving the second-most: five, all first-place.

In the 2025 contest, honoring news excellence in the 2024 calendar year, the Connecticut SPJ introduced the new three-division award format that supplanted the previous five-division format.

In 2025, Today Magazine again won the most awards among state magazines, 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. Only one other state magazine received an SPJ award in 2025: Seasons Magazine with a single first-place.

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

"This journalistic success has certainly been gratifying and beyond my expectations," says editor-in-chief Deckert, who doubles as Today's publisher. "My goal has always been to produce quality journalism, but to think that little Today Magazine would surpass Connecticut Magazine — the granddaddy of Connecticut newsmagazines — 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 newsmagazines, while the Connecticut Magazine brand dates back to 1971. For more historical backstory on these two comparably successful media brands, see the sidebar information at the conclusion of this news report.

Meanwhile, let's circle back to the Connecticut SPJ's third division — and complete the circle, so to speak. Divisions A and B have already been identified and defined, yet basic mathematical and alphabetical logic requires a definition for Division C.

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 full-time reporters, Deckert has chosen to compete for SPJ awards in Division B. However, at last two other state magazines with such smaller staff employment numbers have chosen to vie for awards in Division C: the Catholic Transcript and Litchfield County Sports.

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In the 2026 state SPJ contest, the Catholic Transcript has won four Division C awards: a first-place and third-place in the General Column/Commentary category, a first-place in the Headlines category, and a third-place in the Religion category.

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

Litchfield County Sports has also won four Division C awards: first-place and second-place and third-place in the Sports Column/Commentary category, and second-place in the General Column/Commentary category.

So magazines in the Constitution State competed in both Divisions B and C in 2026, and this reality raises a potential riddle — or perhaps not a riddle, but at least a question: If all magazines in Connecticut were required to vie for SPJ honors in the same division, how many accolades would the respective magazine award-winners received in this year's contest?

Naturally, the answer is unknown.

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Deckert established the media outlet now known as Today Publishing in 2018 and debuted Today Magazine in 2019.

He has won 47 SPJ awards overall in his media career, including 15 first-place prizes — 45 have come with Today Publishing and Today Magazine, plus two with the Journal Register Company, where he worked as a reporter and editor from 1996 to 1999. He served as an editor in various roles for ESPN. com and ESPN Digital Media from 1999 to 2017.

"For many years, I worked in relative obscurity as an editor at ESPN Digital Media, and it appears that the globally known ESPN brand underutilized my God-given talents," Deckert says. "Of course, I'm still toiling in relative obscurity, especially compared with reporters at the more well-known media outlets and the TV and radio stations in Greater Hartford — but I certainly appreciate the encouragement and recognition that the SPJ has given Today Magazine."

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

• Tale of 2+2 Artists – Inspire Arts foursome add creativity to injury 

• Flood Lessons – Churches seek answer to age-old question 

• Birthday Bash – Reborn museum preps for America 250 

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

In the eight-year history of Today Publishing and Today Magazine, an astounding 36 Today contributors have won SPJ awards besides Deckert — 33 contributing writers and three contributing photographers.

"I'm thrilled that so many writers have received SP awards 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."

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 Connecticut SPJ announced this year's awards in early May 2026. +

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•​ Sources

Society of Professional Journalists: Connecticut​ SPJ Chapter​ • Today Publishing analysis of SPJ award info and data • various online media outlets

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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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