CARDIFF, WALES – Guysborough-Antigonish Journal Editor Alec Bruce received a 2026 Golden Dozen Award for Outstanding Editorial Writing from the prestigious International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE) at its annual gala July 18 in Wales.
Bruce won for “Water, clarity and commitment in a dry season,” an editorial published Aug. 20, 2025, that called for Nova Scotia’s provincial and municipal governments to align their strategies for distributing drinking water in Guysborough County during the prolonged drought of 2025.
In presenting the award, judges noted, “We take water for granted – but are reminded of its importance when it is rationed in a drought. Alec Bruce takes the authorities to task for their inconsistent approach to providing drinking water to residents on either side of a municipal line and his readers will be grateful to him.”
After accepting the award from ISWNE president Andy Schotz, editor of the Frederick News-Post in Maryland, Bruce – who also received the ISWNE’s 2026 Burt and Ursula Freireich Scholarship, presented to a first-time attendee of the annual conference – said he was “grateful and moved” by the recognition. He noted the importance of local, independent journalism “now more than ever in a world where thoughtful reporting on issues that affect the lives of people in their communities is too often drowned out by the noise of social media.”
Founded in 1955 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the ISWNE is one of the world’s most influential professional associations for weekly and community newspapers. Specializing in editorial leadership and public-service reporting and commentary, its roughly 300 member publications span the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Nepal and South Africa.
The society’s annual editorial-writing competition, the Golden Dozen, is among its most prominent programs, recognizing the year’s 12 leading entries, with the top editorial receiving the Golden Quill Award – awarded this year to five-time Golden Dozen winner Declan Varley, group editor of the Galway Advertiser in Ireland.
This was Bruce’s first entry in the Golden Dozen competition. He is the only winner from Canada this year.
“We are so proud of Alec’s many accomplishments in journalism, especially this international award for editorial writing,” said Journal Publisher Allan Murphy. “Alec has a special gift as a journalist that allows him to distill complex issues and connect with readers on things that really matter to them.”
Bruce is retiring from the position of editor at the end of August, but will continue as part of The Journal’s team as contributing editor on a part-time basis.
