BOSTON – The Bangor Daily News was honored recently by the New England Newspaper Association with a merit award as a finalist for general excellence as a daily newspaper in its circulation category, and received two Publick Occurrences Awards for superior achievement in news and photography.

The general excellence award was determined by a panel of judges from newspapers outside the New England region. In their comments about the newspaper, judges said they were most impressed by the NEWS’ typography and photography, and the crisp quality of its overall reproduction. The winner in the NEWS’ circulation category, 60,000-150,000, was the Portland Press Herald.

The Publick Occurrences Awards, selected by a panel of judges at Harvard University, were for “Maine Drain,” a package of stories based on Census data reflecting the outmigration of residents, especially the young, from communities in central and northern Maine; and to Stephen M. Katz, staff photographer, for “Honduras: Lives Left Behind,” his photographs of the families and fellow villagers of the foreign workers killed in a northern Maine van accident in 2002.

Mark Woodward, NEWS executive editor, said, “These awards emphasize that putting out a newspaper is a team effort. From the pressroom to beat reporters, everyone makes a significant contribution to the overall effort. We strive for excellence in the product we offer to our readers each day.”