BDN wins 7 top awards in N.E. newspaper contest

The Bangor Daily News took first-place honors in seven categories in the annual New England Associated Press News Executives Association contest, results of which were announced Tuesday. The awards will be presented Sept. 19 at the NEAPNEA fall conference in Concord, N.H.

A total of 10 staffers for the BDN were recognized for news and editorial writing, photography, illustration and page design in the Class I category that includes daily newspapers with a circulation of at least 60,000.

First-place honorees included reporter Sharon Kiley Mack, who won in the arts and entertainment writing category; photographer John Clarke Russ for deadline news photo; assistant editorial page editor Tom Groening; graphics director Eric Zelz, who won in the categories of informational graphics and photo illustration and shared a top award with graphics designer Brian Robitaille for Page 1 design; and sports columnist Ernie Clark.

Clark also had a second-place award in the sports feature category, while photographer Kate Collins took second in the sports photo competition. Copy editor Becky Bowden and Zelz shared second place in the Page 1 design category.

Earning third-place honors were reporter Judy Harrison in arts and entertainment writing, Robitaille in the best headline category, and John Holyoke for sports column writing and in the sports story category.

Mack’s first-place story described music jam sessions held at the Monson General Store. Russ’ winning photo captured a man securing a boat during a violent storm in Rockland. Zelz’s informational graphic detailed the ethnic neighborhoods of historic Bangor while his photo illustration of a pistol and drugs accompanied a story on crime. Robitaille and Zelz combined on a front-page design featuring a look at state employee salaries.

Groening won for writing opinions on the legal troubles of Bangor City Councilor Richard Greene, the Christian Civic League’s involvement in a gender identity case and politicians using Sept. 11 as a campaign issue. Clark took first for columns on schools losing their identities through consolidation, a high school athlete known for his verbal chatter during games, and the tragic death of a college athlete in an alcohol-related incident.

A complete list of winners is available at bangordailynews.com.