BDN staff winners in N.E. competition

The New England Associated Press News Executives Association recently announced the winners of its annual awards for news photography, newspaper design and news writing. The Bangor Daily News received awards in all three categories.

The BDN photo department won four awards. Kevin Bennett won first place in general news for his photo of a mourner at a memorial service for a homicide victim. Gabor Degre won second place in feature for his picture of a wind-blown tourist taking a photo while a seagull seemed to look on. Bridget Brown won third place in portrait for her shot of a teenage girl who raises sheep on a family farm. Linda Coan O’Kresik won third place in sports action for her shot of two outfielders colliding while chasing a fly ball during the Senior League World Series.

The BDN design team won three awards. Travis Gass won first place for a feature page dealing with scarves. Eric Zelz won second place for informational graphics about Maine Indian tribes and geographical locations they named or were named for them and third place for an illustration about eating fish during Lent.

The BDN won nine different writing awards. John Holyoke won first place in the sports story category for his coverage of a wheelchair-bound man’s experience in both a local marathon and 15-kilometer race, and Andrew Neff won second place in the same category for a story about young pitchers for the Boston Red Sox.

Sharon Kiley Mack won second place in arts and entertainment for her story about a grandfather teaching his 12-year-old grandson how to train oxen, and Alicia Anstead won third place for her story about an Iraq war veteran making a name as a stage actor. Tracy Collins won second place in best headline for “Attention Span,” dealing with the new Penobscot Narrows bridge.

Mack, Anne Ravana and Aimee Dolloff won second place in deadline news for their coverage of the closing of Moosehead Manufacturing, a Maine furniture company. Kristen Andresen won second place in feature story for “Ladies’ Night” about the prevalence of drinking among young women. Bill Trotter and Diana Graettinger won third place in business/consumer news for their report on LNG projects, and Susan Young won third place in the editorial category.

Other Maine newspapers that won awards were The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, The Morning Sentinel and The Kennebec Journal.

All awards will be presented on Sept. 21 at NEAPNEA’s fall conference in Plymouth, Mass.