The South Whidbey Record earned top marks at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2016 better newspaper contest.

The paper earned second place in the coveted general excellence category. Competing in group two, publications with circulations between 2,501 and 5,000, The Record was weighed against 22 other newspapers from across Washington.

“I’m really proud of the great work of The Record staff,” Publisher Keven R. Graves said. “General Excellence recognition simply affirms what has been clear all along — South Whidbey has an outstanding community newspaper, among the best in Washington State.”

Including general excellence, the paper’s staff brought home 14 awards in a myriad of categories.

Reporter Evan Thompson cleaned house in sports coverage claiming three awards. He took second in Best Sports News for his story, “Five Falcon grapplers advance to WIAA Mat Classic, and won second and third place in Black and White Action Photos for his shots “Leaguers still alive in district tournament” and “South Whidbey’s offensive dominance shines against rival.”

Former reporter Kate Daniel claimed first place in Best Lifestyle Feature for her story, “Saying goodbye to Lulu” and former reporter Ben Watanabe earned second place in best feature page design for his pagination of a DjangoFest Northwest preview story.

Former graphic artist Rebecca Collins earned third in Best Single ad for Single Advertiser with her “Three new fragrances thymes” ad.

Whidbey News Times editor Jessie Stensland, a regular contributor to The Record, won News Writer of the Year — again. It’s the third time in five years she’s been honored with the prestigious award.

Finally, Record editor Justin Burnett earned awards for reporting (news, features, crime/courts and business), photography and pagination.