The Demopolis Times won several awards in this year’s Alabama Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

The awards were announced Saturday evening during the organization’s annual convention at the Hilton Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Fla.

The Times won first place for Best Presswork. Judges said the newspaper had “great presentation and excellent registration.”

Other first place awards include Best Feature Story and Best Use of Social Media.

The top feature story, written by publisher Justin Averette, featured former Demopolis High athlete Tony Nicholson, who overcame a leg amputation to excel in grappling and star in several Tiger Art Guild productions. The story also won second place for Best Sports Feature.

The Times also won second place for Best Editorial on a piece that focused on Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital’s labor and delivery unit as well as third place in Freedom on Information for staff writer Matt Cole’s coverage of a county commissioner’s arrest on theft charges and grand jury decision to not indict.

“We are proud of the awards. It’s always nice to be recognized for your work, especially by your peers in the industry,” said Averette. “However, we still have much work to do to continue to provide compelling content, both print and online, that our readers deserve. We look forward to that challenge and continually improving our products.”

Seventy newspaper ssubmitted more than 2,600 entries in this year’s contest, for work published in 2013. West Virginia Press Association members judged the entries.