The Source has received national recognition for its cover art, earning First Place in Cover Design at the 2025 Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) Awards. The winning entry, which included three individual covers, were created by art director Jennifer Galler and illustrator Adrian Galler. Judges praised the designs for its bold visual storytelling, clever wordplay and compelling design.

The winning covers included the “Back to the Ballotbox” election issue published October 24, 2024 featuring a Back to the Future theme, the “Restoring a River” issue published May 30, 2024 and the women’s issue published February 29, 2024.  

This award places the Source alongside some of the country’s most respected independent publications, including Seven Days, The Austin Chronicle, and Washington City Paper. The AAN Awards celebrate excellence in alternative journalism across the U.S. and Canada, recognizing outlets that provide independent, investigative, and community-centered reporting.

“AAN is a vital network of alt-weeklies committed to independent voices and original storytelling,” said The Source publisher Aaron Switzer. “To be recognized at this level for our design work—something that’s core to the alt-weekly experience—is an incredible honor for our small team.”

This national award follows the Source’s recent regional recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists’ NW Excellence in Journalism Awards, where the publication took home three first-place honors in writing, illustration, and environmental reporting.

In a media landscape dominated by consolidation and paywalls, the Source remains a free, locally owned newspaper—committed to delivering visually engaging and editorially strong coverage each week.