By Christina Fernández-Morrow
We’re thrilled to share some incredible news! Last week, Hola America publications won 12 José Martí Awards, including three gold honors for JEFAS Magazine, at the National Association of Hispanic Publications’ (NAHP) most prestigious recognition program.
The celebration took place Nov. 12-14 at NAHP’s annual convention, where hundreds of Latino media professionals gathered to honor excellence in journalism, photography, design, and community impact. And what a night it was for Hola America, Hola Iowa, and JEFAS Latinas in Business Magazine!
JEFAS Magazine Wins Top Honors
JEFAS Latinas in Business Magazine excelled at the awards ceremony with three first-place awards:
- Outstanding Hispanic Magazine – Glossy
- Outstanding Design – Magazine
- Outstanding Event for the 2024 Latina Business Excellence Summit
This triple-gold performance is especially meaningful given that José Martí Award submissions increased by 18% this year.
More competition means these wins truly showcase JEFAS Magazine’s impact in empowering and celebrating Latina entrepreneurs across the Midwest.
The Latina Business Excellence Summit recognition is particularly close to our hearts. This wasn’t just an event—it’s become a movement where Latina business leaders connect, learn, and build meaningful partnerships. To see it honored at the national level validates everything our team has worked to create. We’re honored to share this recognition with the volunteers and key organizers like Rocio Hermosillo, Blanca Plascencia, and Claudia Schabel, who helped make the event not only possible, but a resounding success.
Hola Iowa: Telling Stories That Matter
Hola Iowa brought home seven awards, proving that local journalism rooted in community makes a difference. Our editor-in-chief Christina Fernández-Morrow earned silver for outstanding health article for, “Woodbury County Disconnect between Latinos and Healthcare Providers”—a story that exposed critical gaps in lead poisoning testing access and sparked important conversations about health equity.
The publication also captured silver for its outstanding cultural photo essay, which beautifully documented the vibrancy, tradition and resilience of Iowa’s Latino communities.
Our bronze honors showcased the breadth of Hola Iowa’s journalism with Joaquín Ramirez’s “Cultural Pride, Education, and Leadership” education article, Anthony Arroyo’s striking news event photograph from La Vigilia por la Dignidad Humana, and additional recognition for news event photo essay, outstanding less than weekly newspaper, and photo-overall.
These awards reflect our commitment to covering not just what happens in our communities, but why it matters.
Hola America: Celebrating Local Excellence
Hola America earned additional honors. Christina Fernández-Morrow earned her second silver award for local business article for her profile of Des Moines jewelry designer Paola Elena Acuña, published in partnership with JEFAS, demonstrating the power of collaboration across our publications.
Amelia Orozco brought home bronze for outstanding cultural article, while our photography team earned bronze for outstanding community photo.
What This Recognition Means
NAHP reported 71% membership growth since 2022, and the message from every panel, keynote, and conversation was clear: Latino media isn’t just growing—it’s essential to the future of American journalism.
Hola America Media Group’s 12 awards validate what we’ve always known: when you combine excellent journalism with deep community roots, you create something powerful. These aren’t just plaques on a wall. They represent every person who shared their story with our writers, each colorful photo our photographers captured, the late nights our designers spent perfecting a layout, hours of translating, and community members who trusted us to tell their stories.
“We’re incredibly proud of this year’s showing, and none of it would be possible without our amazing team and the unwavering support of our readers and followers across Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and beyond,” said Erika Macias, president and publisher of Hola America Media Group.
Thank You
To our readers: Thank you for trusting us with your stories, sharing
our articles, following our social media, and engaging with our content. You are why we do this work.
To our team: You pour your hearts into every story, photo, edit, translation, upload, and design element. You make these wins possible. These awards belong to you.
To our advertisers and partners: Your support makes it possible for us to invest in the quality journalism our communities deserve.
To the National Association of Hispanic Publications: Thank you for recognizing the vital role Latino media plays in American journalism. We’re proud to be part of this growing, dynamic community of storytellers.
Here’s to the stories we’ve told, and the ones to come.
The José Martí Awards recognize excellence in journalism, reporting, photography and design among print and digital publications serving Latino communities nationwide.
Visit www.holaamericanews.com and www.jefasmagazine.com to experience our award-winning publications.
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