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The Daily News won 17 awards in this year’s Louisiana Press Association “Better Newspaper Competition,” including five first-place awards.

The LPA announced the winners of the 2021 Better Newspaper Competition on Thursday, June 30, at the Baton Rouge City Club.

The Georgia Press Association judged the 42 LPA member publications that entered the contest, along with college and university student newspapers.

“We are always proud when our work is judged highly by a group of our journalistic peers,” Daily News publisher Justin Schuver said. “It serves as a testament to the hard work accomplished by our team every day.”

Daily News graphics designer Kim Edwards received four of the first-place awards. The staff also received a “Best Special Section” first-place award for its magazine previewing the 2021 Washington Parish Free Fair.

Judges commented on the section: “The amount of local copy produced for this one section on this single event is impressive. There are a lot of great photos. This is the most extensive coverage of a county (parish) fair I’ve ever seen.”

The Daily News competes in Division 2, which includes all non-weekly newspapers with a circulation of 20,000 or less. The other newspapers in that division are the Abbeville Meridional, Daily Town Talk (Alexandria), Crowley Post-Signal, Franklin Banner-Tribune, Daily Star (Hammond), Jennings Daily News, Acadiana Advocate (Lafayette), Minden Press Herald, Daily Iberian (New Iberia), Daily World (Opelousas), Ruston Daily Leader, Southwest Daily News (Sulphur), and Daily Comet (Thibodaux).

The Daily News’ full list of awards is as follows:

• First place, Kim Edwards, Best Ad Campaign.
• First place, Kim Edwards, Best Online Advertising — Single Ad.
• First place, Kim Edwards, Best Online Advertising Campaign.
• First place, Kim Edwards, In-Paper Promotion.
• First place, Staff, Best Special Section.
• Second place, Kim Edwards, Best Online Advertising — Single Ad.
• Second place, Kim Edwards, Best Online Advertising Campaign.
• Second place, Kim Edwards, Staff Generated Ad.
• Second place, Justin Schuver, Best Headline.
• Third place, Kim Edwards, Best Multiple Advertiser Page.
• Third place, Kim Edwards, Best Online Advertising-Single Ad.
• Third place, Kim Edwards, Best Online Advertising Campaign.
• Third place, Kim Edwards, In-Paper Promotion.
• Third place, Justin Schuver, Best Front Page.
• Third place, Justin Schuver, Best Headline.
• Third place, Staff, Best Overall Website.
• Third place, Staff, Best Special Section.