PHOTO: L’Observateur staff members attending the Louisiana Press Association’s 121st convention in Alexandria hold the newspapers 24 awards presented in this year’s Better Newspaper Contest. From left, reporter Daniel Tyler Gooden, Managing Editor Sandy Seal Cunningham, reporter Amy Szpara and Assistant Managing Editor Leonard Gray. ALEXANDRIA – L’Observateur won 24 awards Saturday at the 121st annual convention of the Louisiana Press Association, earning as a result the additional Sweepstakes award for editorial content. The designation is based on combined point totals from the editorial awards during 2000. The presentation was made at the conference last weekend, held at the Radisson Hotel Bentley in Alexandria. L’Observateur competed with newspapers published two to four times a week, including the Bossier Press-Tribune, Denham Springs-Livingston Parish News, Ville Platte Gazette, St. Charles Herald-Guide, Eunice News and the News-Banner of Covington. Sweepstakes winners, based on the number of combined points in the editorial awards, included the West Side Journal of Port Allen, the Plaquemine Post/South, the Slidell Sentry-News, the Courier of Houma, the Advertiser of Lafayette, and the Times-Picayune. Newspaper of the Year honors, based on combined point totals in both editorial and advertising awards, went to the West Side Journal, the Rayne Acadian-Tribune, Bossier Press-Tribune, Slidell Sentry-News, the Daily Star of Hammond, the Town Talk of Alexandria, the Advocate of Baton Rouge and the Times-Picayune. The advertising competition takes place each fall. The five first-place awards earned by L’Observateur were presented to Michael Kiral for best sports column and best photo feature, Leonard Gray for best single editorial, to L’Observateur’s September 27 edition of Channels, titled “Crime” for best special section and to L’Observateur for General Excellence in editorial content. Kiral’s column, “From the Sidelines,” earned top honors for best sports column, and his June 7 photo feature, “Casting Away,” won the top award in that category. Gray’s July 26 editorial on the murder of Luan Minh Nguyen of Montz won for best single editorial. L’Observateur’s “Crime” special section won for best in that category, and the newspaper also received the General Excellence award in editorial content. Second-place awards were presented as follows: Kiral’s July 26 story on pitching and also for best overall sports coverage; Daniel Tyler Gooden’s Feb. 16 feature on Willie Shorty; Gray’s coverage of the John Wille re-trial hearings last fall and for best headline, “Bad Pet Owners May Be Leashed;” Inez Henson-Smith’s cover design for the newspaper’s Aug. 26 “Guide for Healthy Living” won for most effective use of graphic design on a single page; and Erik Sanzenbach won for feature photo in May’s “River Current.” Gooden also placed second for best photo feature, along with Kiral and Tommy Williams, for the photo coverage of the West St. John and St. James high school basketball state championships. The January “River Current” on the history of the River Parishes won a second-place award for community service and also received a third-place award for best special section. Third-place awards were presented as follows: Gray placed for regular column for his Jan. 22 “The Gray Line Tour” on the real difference between little girls and little boys and his April 1 column on his “invisible” wife; Williams for best sports feature photo for his Dec. 9 photo of Riverside offensive coordinator John White consoling an upset player; and Kiral for his March 29 photo of high jumper Chad Henry of East St. John High. L’Observateur also earned third place honors for best news coverage, best family news coverage, best website, best front page and best total newspaper design. Gray also received an honorable mention award for best single editorial for his editorial on Dr. Martin Luther King, commemorating King’s birthday. A total of 87 newspapers, publications and university student newspapers submitted 2,339 contest entries.