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The Demopolis Times was presented with eight awards in the Alabama Press Association’s annual Better Newspapers Contest.

In all, the Times was recognized with three second place awards and five third place awards, which were presented during the APA’s summer convention in Orange Beach, Alabama.

The second place awards included Best Business Story or Column for “Still Pumping After 75 Years,” featuring Parr’s Chevron’s anniversary; Best Editorial for “Time to Move Past City’s Statue Debate;” and Best One-Time Special Section for “Demopolis 200,” a magazine focused on the city’s bicentennial.

The Times received third place awards for Best Local Education Coverage, Best Production and Press Work, Best Feature Photo for “Baptism Aboard the Wedge,” Best News Feature for “Hero in Demopolis,” and Best Editorial Column or Commentary for “Park & Recreation Swinging for the Fences.”

“These awards represent our staff’s hard work and dedication to bring an assortment of news and features to our community. Being recognized by our peers is an honor and provides us with a benchmark as we continuously work to improve and better serve our readers and advertisers,” said Times Publisher Robert Blankenship.

This year, more than 2,000 entries were submitted from 64 newspapers across the state. The Virginia Press Association judged the entries.

(This article originally appeared in the Wednesday, July 25 issue of the Demopolis Times.)