The Boothbay Register, Wiscasset Newspaper and Pen Bay Pilot won a combined 28 awards, including three special awards, in the 2020 Maine Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, presented at the MPA’s annual conference held virtually on Saturday, Oct. 24. The awards were from material published in print or online between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 and were judged by the Oklahoma Press Association.

The Boothbay Register won second place for Advertising General Excellence in Weekly 1 division, the Wiscasset Newspaper won second place for Digital General Excellence in Weekly 1 division, and the Pen Bay Pilot won second place for Digital General Excellence in Weekly 2 division.

Below are the individual awards won by the newspapers:

Boothbay Register awards

First place: Joseph Charpentier, “Committee hires new principal despite outcry,” Education Story, Weekly 1 division

First place: Lisa Kristoff, “‘Go green’ has a whole new meaning,” Health Story, Weekly 1 division

First place: Bill Pearson, “LePages working at McSeagulls this summer,” News Story, Weekly 1 division

First place: Joseph Charpentier, News Headline, “Life is a fish and then you fry,” Bet’s Fish Fry fundraiser fairs fine for BCA, Weekly 1 division

First place: Joseph Charpentier, Spot News Photo, Konstantinos Rigas arrested, Weekly 1 division

Second place: Steve Edwards, Best Circulation Promotion, “Don’t miss another moment,” Weekly 1 division

Second place: Lisa Kristoff, Business Story, “Windjammer Emporium,” Weekly 1 division

Second place: Lisa Kristoff, Critic’s Award, “Fishin’ For Fashion,” Weekly 1 division

Third place: Kevin Burnham, Feature Photo, “The beginning of the end for Dripping Wet,” Weekly 1 division

Third place: Lisa Kristoff, Critic’s Award, “SThayerART – Yes, that S. Thayer,” Weekly 1 division

Third place, Staff, Picture Story, “Graduation Activities,” Weekly 1 division

Wiscasset Newspaper awards

Second place: Susan Johns, Outdoors Story, “Paddlers: Dam’s new opening currently no cakewalk,” Weekly 1 division

Second place: Susan Johns, Sports Video, “Sharing racing: Wiscasset Speedway welcomes WACC,” Weekly division

Second place: Susan Johns, Features/Lifestyle Video, “‘Two front teeth and a spitball gun’: Santa fields requests at WCC,” Weekly division

Third place: Susan Johns, News Headline, “Dollar General Sign a no go after no show,” Weekly 1 division

Pen Bay Pilot Awards

First place: Lynda Clancy, News Video, “Route 90 car crash injures three teens,” Weekly division

First place: Sarah Thompson, Spot News Story, “You can keep the cat out of the bag, but you can’t keep it in the tree,” Weekly 2 division

Second place: Lynda Clancy, News Story, “Belfast, Rockland hospitals prepared, should Coronavirus 2019 emerge in Midcoast,” Weekly 2 division

Second place: Lynda Clancy, Analysis, “‘Problems bigger than school’: Midcoast educators tackle increase in dysregulated behavior,” Weekly 2 division

Third place: Kristen Lindquist, Critic’s Award, “On Millay and Mount Battie,” Weekly 2 division

Third place: Sarah Thompson, Feature Photo, “Firefighters from multiple towns …,” Weekly 2 division

Third place: Sarah Thompson, People Photo, “Catching an expression as well as a fish,’ Weekly 2 division

Third place: Sarah Thompson, Political Story, “Can robust dialogue fit within Rockland Council Chambers?”, Weekly 2 division

Third place: Lynda Clancy, Game Story, “Firefighters, ski patrol, rock climbers practice together at Snow Bowl lift evacuation drill,” Weekly 2 division

Third place: George Harvey, Sports Columnist, “At the heart of school sports lies community,” Weekly 2 division

Due to the pandemic, the annual conference, which usually draws over 300 journalists from around the state, was held via the internet.

Immediately following the morning business meeting, the annual MPA Hall of Fame ceremony was held. Inducted this year were Terry Carlisle, who retired in 2019 after a long career at the Ellsworth American, and Art Guesman, a longtime journalism professor at the University of Maine.

An online silent auction was held for several days leading up to the conference, and a live auction for the benefit of the MPA Scholarship Fund was held in the afternoon, followed by the awards ceremony, hosted by Portland Press Herald photographer Gregory Rec. Over $2,500 was raised for the scholarship fund.

Sarah Morley of the Boothbay Register and Lynda Clancy of the Pen Bay Pilot are members of the MPA board. Clancy replaces J. W. Oliver of the Lincoln County News as the MPA president for the coming year.

Conference sponsors were Mitchell Tardy Jackson and Broadreach Public Relations.

A complete list of 2020 award winners will be posted next week on the MPA’s website, www.mainepressassociation.org