Staff from The Journal of the San Juan Islands and the Islands’ Sounder took home 33 state newspaper awards this month. Winners of the 2018 Washington Better Newspaper Contest were announced during the 131st annual meeting of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association in Yakima, Oct. 11-13. Approximately 62 papers statewide participate in the contest. This year, judges for Washington papers were from Wisconsin.

The Journal of the San Juan Island staff earned third place in general excellence for the overall publication. Both the Journal and Sounder staff won the following awards for special sections: first place for “Savor in the San Juans”; first place for “Springtide Visitors Guide”; and second place for “Wedding in the San Juans.”

Individual Journal staff members also received the following honors:

• Front page design: Cali Bagby, second place for “Black bear.”

• Health or medical story: Hayley Day, first place for “Island man’s bionic hand” and second place for “Local vets.”

• Business news: Day, second place for “Boost for business” and third place for “Local farmers need help.”

• Educational story: Day, third place for “School looks to renew levy.”

• Crime and court story: Day and Bagby, second place with “Coach pleads guilty to assault,” and Bagby, third place for “Criminal Convictions out at Sea.”

• Comprehensive coverage, single writer: Day, second place for coverage of the Life Care Center closure.

• Comprehensive coverage, multiple writers: Day and Colleen Smith, first place for their coverage of funding for the Washington state ferries; and Day, Heather Spaulding and Mandi Johnson, second place for their coverage of orca whales.

• Personality profile, short: Day, second place for “A ferry tale ending” and third place for “Floating micro-ship.”

• News of the weird: Day, first place for “Seal bites tourist.”