JEKYLL ISLAND — For the second year in a row, The Moultrie Observer was named best among similar-sized newspapers in the Georgia Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

Awards were presented Friday night during the GPA’s annual convention on Jekyll Island.

The Observer placed first in the General Excellence category, which is determined by a point system based on other awards the newspaper received in the contest. Including General Excellence, The Observer won 14 awards in the contest. Roughly half were for work produced by the staff as a whole and the rest were individual awards.

Staff awards included:

— General Excellence, 1st place.

— Local News, 1st place.

— Headline Writing, 1st place.

— Editorial Page, 1st place.

— Sports Section, 2nd place.

— Lifestyles Coverage, 3rd place.

Individual awards for work published in The Observer included:

— Education Writing, 1st place, reporter Kasmira Smith.

— News Photo, 2nd place, Connie Southwell, and 3rd Place, Editor Kevin C. Hall.

— Best Web Photo, 3rd place, Editor Kevin C. Hall.

— Sports Coverage, 2nd place, sports reporter Jessi Flowers.

Three individual awards were for work published in Moultrie Scene magazine, including two by freelance writers:

— Magazine Business Feature, 1st place, Katherine Russell, for “Made in Meigs,” about Bull and Briar Leather, in the March 2023 issue.

— Magazine Business Feature, 2nd place, reporter Kasmira Smith, for a profile of Naturally Cool Gems and Jewels in the June 2023 issue.

— Magazine Story, 3rd place, Brooke Hulsey for a profile of Georgia Farmer of the Year Bart Davis in the October 2023 issue.