Citizen's Kruszewski wins seven VPC awards

Henrico Citizen Managing Editor Patty Kruszewski won seven awards in the Virginia Professional Communicators 2025 communications contest, including three first-place entries that advanced to the National Federation of Press Women competition.

Awards were announced at the VPC spring conference, held May 3 in Yorktown.

Kruszewski won two first place awards in the specialty articles category: one for a business story covering the opening of Amazon's new Henrico fulfillment center, and another in the social issues category describing Henrico PAL's annual awards night, which featured a nationally-known comedian and a local police officer who performed on America's Got Talent.

Kruszewski also took a first place in the columns division with her Plate & Goblet column titled "Dipping Decadence & Cicada Cuisine."

Another Plate & Goblet column – "Garage Gastronomy & Mimosa Merriment" – won a second-place award.

In the feature story category, Kruszewski also won a second place award with a story about the Sandston Rotary Club's popular Flags for Heroes program, which celebrates veterans. A third Plate & Goblet column, "Day of Umami," won a third-place award, while a story about the CrossOver Ministries pharmacy expansion won honorable mention in the specialty articles health division.

Among other VPC winners with Henrico ties were Glen Allen residents Cynthia Price, who won first-place honors for her article in a University of Richmond publication, and freelance writer Joan Tupponce, who won a total of eight awards. Tupponce's honors were won in a variety of categories ranging from personality profiles to specialty articles and columns, and included three first-place awards – which, like Price's and Kruszewski's, will advance to the NFPW competition.