Citizen's Kruszewski wins 2 national awards

Henrico Citizen Managing Editor Patty Kruszewski, who won three awards in the Virginia Professional Communicators 2026 communications contest, has won honors at the national level as well. 

Her Plate & Goblet column, "Lotte Lovers, tortillas, & Veganuary,” won a third-place award in the informational columns category of the National Federation of Press Women competition.  Judges complimented Kruszewski on her "comprehensive" and "wide-ranging" look at the local restaurant scene and on her information-packed descriptions.  

"Lively writing brings the reader right into the Lotte Market," said a judge. "The author’s institutional memory of eateries added texture and temporal dimension to a column that could’ve been — in lesser hands — a straight and boring recitation of restaurant doings."

In the specialty-articles history category, Kruszewski won an honorable mention for her story about a famous local racehorse: “Near his Henrico foaling site, Boston gets his due.”

National awards were presented at a ceremony during the 2026 NFPW Conference, held in September in Ellicott City, Maryland.