Wiscasset Newspaper honored at New England newspaper conference




The New England Newspaper and Press Association, a group of regional news organizations, honored the Boothbay Register and the Wiscasset Newspaper with seven awards for small weekly newspapers during its annual winter conference last weekend.
The association named retired Register/Wiscasset editor Mary Dodge Brewer as the ninth Maine journalist to be named to the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame.
The group awarded the Register with a first place award for the special section for the annual early bird holiday sales event. The judges called the Register’s early bird promotion section, featuring laughing pajama-clad early morning shoppers: “A creative promotion for 60 advertisers in the off-season.”
“Maybe all newspapers ought to be this silly,” the judges said.
The association also gave the Register a first place award for smaller weekly papers for a special contest ad designed to promote the paper’s new website.
While the ad plugging the Register’s new website won a first place award, the new website itself was awarded a second place as the judges called it “a great community website.”
The association’s website category judge was especially impressed with the many voices in the “Talk” section and the weather skyscraper on the left side of the homepage. The judge also pointed out that the website’s Main Street advertising panel is also a nice touch.
Wiscasset reporter Charlotte Boynton was honored with an individual third place award for transportation stories. The judges cited her for a story on the failure of the Wiscasset bypass called “Bye, bye Wiscasset bypass.”
Register’s graphic designer Suzi Thayer was awarded a second place for her stunning redesign of the first page of the second section of both papers. “Beautiful photo, interesting story and good writing,” said the judge who called it an excellent package.
Two of the Register’s special sections also won second place honors. One was “Summertime,” a special publication that was called a “tastefully done and strong revenue generator,” and the other was the annual Windjammer Days special section, honored without comment.
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