The Journal Star in Peoria won the Stuart R. Paddock Memorial Sweepstakes Trophy for large dailies. With 160 points, it glided past The News-Gazette in Champaign, which scored 128 points. Belleville News-Democrat was third with 99 points.

Points are awarded for placing in most of the contest categories including general excellence, photography, newswriting, opinion writing, design and editorial page.

In the medium-sized daily newspaper category, The Beacon News in Aurora took top honors with 174 points. They were awarded the Mabel S. Shaw Memorial Sweepstakes Trophy. The Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake was second with 142 points. In third place was Sauk Valley Newspapers in Sterling with 111 points.

In the small daily newspaper category, the Morris Daily Herald again claimed the first-place James S. Copley Memorial Sweepstakes Trophy with 179 points. The Pekin Daily Times was runner-up with 160 points followed by the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb with 153 points.

The Will Loomis Memorial Sweepstakes Trophy is awarded to the top finisher among large non-daily newspapers. The Wednesday Journal in Oak Park claimed that honor this year with 123 points. Just one point behind was the Bolingbrook Sun (122 points) followed by the Downers Grove Reporter (107 points).

Among medium-sized, non-daily newspapers, The Galena Gazette (122 points) edged out the Bureau County Republican, Princeton, (91 points) for the Eva and Harold White Memorial Sweepstakes Trophy. In third place was the Glenview Announcements (88  points).

In the small, non-daily newspaper category, the Forest Park Review claimed the Verle V. Kramer Memorial Sweepstakes Trophy with 96 points. The Woodford County Journal, Eureka, was second with 89 points. Third was the South County News in Gillespie with 65 points.