Vermont Business Magazine Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent weekly newspaper, won nine awards in this year’s New England Better Newspaper Competition — including top honors for its government reporting, video journalism and design. The contest is organized by the New England Newspaper and Press Association; winners were announced at NENPA’s annual convention last month in Boston. NENPA members submitted 3,100 entries, split among five categories: daily newspapers with circulation up to 30,000; daily newspapers with circulation more than 30,000; weekly newspapers with circulation up to 6,000; weekly newspapers with circulation more than 6,000; and specialty publications. Seven Days — which circulates 36,000 copies every Wednesday — competed against numerous other large, New England weeklies.
Seven Days’ nine awards included:
Three first-place awards for senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger’s weekly web video series, “Stuck in Vermont.” One judge wrote, “I can’t praise Eva Sollberger enough — her video web series ‘Stuck in Vermont’ is fresh, upbeat and entertaining.”
Feature video, first place: “Stuck in Vermont 394: Danforth Pewter”
Entertainment video, first place: “Stuck in Vermont 403: Threads and Thresholds”
Sports video, first place: “Stuck in Vermont 389: U.S. Winter Swimming Championship”
A first place in government reporting for political editor Paul Heintz. The judges praised his “dogged pursuit of apparent campaign finance irregularities, conflicts of interest and other questionable practices of Vermont’s attorney general, Bill Sorrell.”
First place in overall design and presentation for the Seven Days design team. “Wow! This is exciting! A fresh look that’s inviting, appealing and hard to put down,” was the official reaction. “A clear standout. Good color, design elements, typography and negative space. Best of all entries!”
Heintz received second place in the “Right-to-Know” category. “Heintz turned the potentially dull topic of campaign financing into a compelling explanation of the conflicts of interests within the state’s attorney general’s office,” is how the judges viewed it. “He reminded the readers with each article the importance of transparency and the public’s right to know.”
Staff writer Mark Davis’ cover story on a long-simmering feud in the Northeast Kingdom town of Victory earned him second place in the Human Interest Feature category. The judges noted, ”Davis, who should be counted among some of the best reporters/writers in Vermont and New England, doesn’t disappoint in this story as he details the ‘dark side of small-town life.’”
Staff writer Ken Picard won second place in Science and Technology Reporting for a story about ThinkMD, a new pediatric health care startup launched by a professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. The judges read it as an “exhilarating exploration of a smartphone app that could rewrite public health in remote places.”
Music Editor Dan Bolles won third place in Arts and Entertainment Reporting for his cover story on Burlington’s all-ages punk club. Noting his “patience for the past and his passion for the future,” the judges wrote: “Dan has written a spirited and sweeping perspective on a venue called 242 Main, which has endured for some 30 years.”
Da Capo Publishing Inc., dba Seven Days, was founded by Pamela Polston and Paula Routly in 1995. In addition to its five free publications, the company also produces two annual events: Vermont Restaurant Week and the Vermont Tech Jam, a job fair and tech expo.