Association honors writer on BDN staff Newspaper collects MPA honors

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BAR HARBOR – Tracy Collins, a copy editor and reporter for the Bangor Daily News, was named the winner of the Bob Drake Young Writer’s Award in the Maine Press Association’s annual “Better Newspaper Contest.”

The award was presented at the organization’s annual fall meeting Saturday night in Bar Harbor.

Collins, a 2005 graduate of the University Maine, initially worked as an intern at the BDN and was hired full-time in April 2005. Her editor, Greg McManus, nominated her for the award, calling her a “work in progress,” as she continues to develop design, editing and writing skills.

Six of Collins’ stories were submitted to support her nomination, including a piece on Charlotte Harding, a waitress at Miller’s restaurant for 40 years, which won third place in the daily feature writing category.

The Journal Tribune of Biddeford and the Sun Journal of Lewiston were honored as daily and weekend Newspapers of the Year. The Bangor Daily News placed third in both categories.

The Ellsworth American and the Mount Desert Islander of Bar Harbor were named the state’s top weekend newspapers.

Mark LaFlamme, a police beat reporter and columnist for the Sun Journal, was named Maine’s Journalist of the Year.

The Journal Tribune was named Newspaper of the Year in the daily division for the first time in more than a decade. The Sun Journal’s Sunday paper won top honors for the second year in a row and the third time in four years.

The Ellsworth American won for the third time in the last five years in the competition for weeklies with circulation of 5,000 or more. The Islander won for the first time in the weekend division for newspapers with less than 5,000 circulation.

Following is a listing of other Bangor Daily News winners.

Scenic Photos Weekend: Kevin Bennett, Make way for the Downeast Gateway Bridge, second place.

People Photos Daily: Kevin Bennett, Boxing, second place. Kevin Bennett, Homecoming, third place.

People Photos Weekend: John Clarke Russ, Gunsmith, second place.

Illustrations Daily: Jon Ferland, The pie’s the limit, second place. Becky Bowden and Jon Ferland, Pigment power, third place.

Sports Photos Daily: Bridget Brown, Tunnel Vision, first place. John Clarke Russ, Baseball and Palms, second place.

Sports Photos Weekend: Kevin Bennett, Eagle Wings, second place.

Graphics Daily: Jon Ferland and Eric Zelz, Understanding Climate, second place. Jon Ferland and Eric Zelz, The Ice age in Maine, third place.

News Story Daily: Jeff Tuttle, Torn in a small town, first place.

Investigative Story Daily: Severance murder series, Nick Sambides Jr., second place.

Continuing Story Daily: Jeff Tuttle: Opposing camps gear up for fight, Grass-roots movement delineates gay rights debate, Gay rights issue divides religious groups, Turnout key for gay rights Question 1, Mainers affirm gay rights law, third place.

Arts and Lifestyle Daily: Kristen Andresen, The fire down below, first place.

Arts and Lifestyle Weekend: Kristen Andresen, Cuckoo for Sudoku, first place.

Feature Story Daily: Tracy Collins, A lifetime serving Miller’s Patrons, third place.

Feature Story Weekend: Jackie Farwell, Cutting too deep, second place.

Local Column Daily: Renee Ordway, The opiate troubles of newborns, Fatal crashes bring home tough lessons, third place.

Local Column Weekend: Kristen Andresen, Ride with Pride, Tread politely, third place.

Critic’s Award: Alicia Anstead, “Spinning Challenges,” first place; “Laramie Project,” second place.

Feature Headline Weekend: Becky Bowden, Sittin’ on the dock of eBay, third place.

Special Section Daily: Staff, Climate Change, first place.

Opinion Column: Todd Benoit, Risky talk for democracy, third place.

Editorial Cartoon Daily: George Danby, Bangor International Airport, first place.

Editorial Page Daily: Dick Shaw, second and third place.

Editorial Page Weekend: Dick Shaw, first and second place.

Sports Story Daily: Andrew Neff, Brewer team Class B champ, third place.

Sports Story Weekend: Jessica Bloch and Judy Harrison, Fired coach support in Brewer, third place.

Sports Column Daily: John Holyoke, Snowboard novice gets no air time, second place.

Sports Column Weekend: John Holyoke, Memories of mother cherished in north, second place.

Local Advertising Color: Amy Hayden and Shelley Sund, Maine Veterans Home, first place. Aaron Skilling and Nicole Mulldune, Hartt Transportation, second place.

Campaign or Series: Shelley Sund, Veterans Day Promos, second place.

Advertising Layout Weekend: Barbara Mower, first place.

Supplement Cover: Shelley Sund, A Day of Reflection, second place

Supplement Cover Weekend: Shelley Sund, Maine Engineers, first place; and American Folk Festival, third place.

Best NIE Idea: Kim Whitmore, 2005-06 Planner, first place.

Self-Promotion: Shelley Sund, Classified Ad Creator, second place. Elisabeth Hansen, Images of Maine, third place.

Best New Idea: Sales Staff, Shelley Sund and Brian Swartz, Veterans Day Section, first place.

Sponsorship Page: Jorgen Taylor, Evelyn Caruso, Sandy Comeau and Marc Luther, Quilt Shops of Maine, first place.

Web site: Tim Archambault, Shelley Sund and Lisa Reed, second place.