The Chilliwack Progress brought home the hardware from the Newspaper Excellence Awards, held at the RiverRock Hotel in Richmond Saturday night.
The Progress captured a total of five “Ma Murray” editorial awards – the second most of any of the 124 member papers within the British Columbia and Yukon Community Newspaper Association.
Two gold, one silver and two bronze rounded out the medal count.
Top prizes went to Eric Welsh and Jenna Hauck.
Welsh earned gold in sports writing for his two-part series on the challenges faced by Denis Kondrashin, a coach with Chilliwack’s Cheam Skating Club, during his journey from Moscow to Canada. “An impressive story from start to finish,” said the judges.
Hauck struck gold in the portrait/personality category for her photo of local artist Max Newhouse. “Composed with beautiful colour and texture, the photographer has captured the artist in his environment,” the judges concluded.
Hauck also picked up silver in the black and white feature category. The photo, part of her ongoing “iPhonography 2013” series, was taken at the Othello-Quintette Tunnels near Hope.
In the feature series category, former Progress reporter Alina Konevski earned bronze for her stories on mental health. Konevski, who was with The Progress to cover a maternity leave position, explored the impact of mental illness through a series of profiles. “The series sensitively addresses the issue from the perspective of sufferers and their families,” said the judges.
Progress editor Greg Knill, meanwhile, also earned bronze. His award came for an editorial he wrote on the controversy surrounding a school district decision to expel students who admitted to smoking marijuana during an out-of-town soccer trip.