What Is the Georgia Press Association (GPA)?
The Georgia Press Association (GPA) is the trade organization that represents the newspaper industry in the state of Georgia. It was founded in 1887 and describes its mission as protecting, promoting, fostering, and advancing the interests of Georgia's newspaper industry. If you work for or with a Georgia newspaper, GPA is the body that connects member papers to shared advocacy, contests, reporting resources, and promotional campaigns.
What GPA Does
GPA functions as an industry association rather than a single newspaper or a government agency. Its stated purpose covers four areas:
- Protecting the interests of Georgia newspapers
- Promoting the industry within the state
- Fostering its growth and standing
- Advancing the interests of member papers
In practice, that mission shows up in the services and programs described on gapress.org.
Resources for Member Newspapers
Capitol Beat
GPA points member newspapers to Capitol Beat (capitol-beat.org), described as coverage of state government for GPA-member newspapers. This gives member papers access to statehouse reporting they can use in their own coverage.
Local Matters
Local Matters is a ready-made promotional campaign GPA offers to member newspapers. The association invites papers to share how they are using the campaign materials — for example, house ads, rack cards, or other promotional materials — and to send custom-made material to GPA by email. The campaign is positioned as a way for papers to emphasize the important role a newspaper plays in its community.
Better Newspaper Contest
GPA runs an annual Better Newspaper Contest recognizing editorial and advertising work. The 2025 contest included a Photo of the Year award, given to Katie Goodale of The Augusta Chronicle for the photo judged best among all first-place photos that year. GPA publishes presentations for both editorial and advertising categories.
Who It's For
GPA is relevant if you:
- Work at a Georgia newspaper and want industry resources, contests, or shared campaigns
- Need state government coverage through Capitol Beat (available to member newspapers)
- Want to promote your paper locally using the Local Matters materials
- Are trying to understand what "GPA" means in a Georgia newspaper context — it refers to this association, not a grade point average
How to Get in Touch
The gapress.org site provides a Contact Us form with fields for name, email address, and message, plus a submit button. GPA also lists a contact email for submitting Local Matters material. For current membership terms, eligibility, or contest deadlines, use the contact form or the email address published on the site, since those details are not specified in the page content available here.