The Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper received 25 awards, including nine first place honors, at the Maine Press Association's 2013 Better Newspaper Contest awards presentation held at the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel and Conference Center in Bar Harbor on October 26.

The newspapers also brought home six second place certificates, including second-best website, and 10 third place honors, including a third for “Advertising General Excellence.”

Reporter Ryan Leighton received first place awards for his feature story (“Stear Clear in Cozy Harbor”) and sports feature story (“Grovers' swag: a family story”); three second place awards for news video (“Watch the Blizzard of 2013 timelapse”), sports video (“MVC cross-country championships”) and news story (“Stimson boatbuilding shut down”); and a third place for feature video (“Penguin Plunge”).

Gary Dow of the advertising department, along with ad salespersons Kathy Frizzell and Sarah Morley, took third place for sponsorship page (Easter promotion); the advertising staff took second for “Best New Idea” (Win an iPad mini); Dow took third in self-promotion (We want you!) and he also won a first in campaign or series (Announcing our new website) and in the editorial division for scenic photo (Tidal pool).

The Register also had six other (besides Ryan Leighton) first-time, first-place winners: Suzi Thayer for arts & lifestyle Feature (“Little house on the footbridge)”; Katrina Clark for business/economic Story (“More than a mom and 'pop' store”); Hilary Ribons, a summer intern in 2012, for her feature photo (“Student driver”); columnist Tim Sample for local columnist (“Stories I Never Told You”); executive editor Joe Gelarden for editorial (“First, do no harm”); and reporter Lisa Kristoff for news story (“A long journey home”).

Kristoff also took third place in education story (“Amber Jones' service in Senegal”).

Reporter Ben Bulkeley took third place for spot news (“Boothbay loses friends”); and reporter Sue Mello took third in continuing story (Local healthcare organizations adapt to changing landscape).

Wiscasset Newspaper reporter Susan Johns took second place for sports story (“Thousands of fans descend on Wiscasset Speedway”) and two third place awards: news story (“Victim's compassion nets Alna mugger less time”) and news/sports headline (“Tee'd off”).

The Advertising General Excellence award and Best Website awards are considered special awards by the MPA. The judge for the advertising award said, “Creative sales effort with directories, salute pages, signature pages. Journeyman layout.”

The website judge said, “Interesting, updated content. Archive is easy to search. Nice use of social media. Would highlight photo galleries better.”