The Richmond Free Press has been recognized with a national award.

The Free Press won the Ada S. Franklin Best Women/Lifestyle Award June 28 at the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual convention in Norfolk.

Judging for the category was based on layout, photos, extensiveness and variety of local coverage and comprehensiveness of stories and columns in two consecutive issues of the Free Press published in 2017.

The winning sections, from May 2017, included the Free Press Personality, along with coverage of commencement speakers at area universities and community celebrations and events.

The NNPA represents more than 200 newspapers owned by African-Americans across the United States.

The theme for the convention: “Sustaining, Engaging and Mobilizing Black Communities.”

Publisher Brenda Andrews of the New Journal and Guide newspaper in Norfolk was the host publisher for the convention.

The Norfolk publication placed third for the Frank L. Stanley Sr. Best Feature Story Award.

Top honors at this year’s awards ceremony went to The Miami Times, which received the John B. Russwurm Trophy for the highest score in the awards categories, and The Birmingham Times of Alabama, which received the John H. Sengstacke Award for General Excellence.

Karen Carter Richards of the Houston Forward Times received the 2018 Publisher of the Year Award.

The NNPA also presented its 2018 Lifetime Legacy Award to the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of the national Rainbow PUSH Coalition.