The Richmond Free Press received top honors in the 2020 Virginia Press Association News and Advertising Contest, capturing Best in Show awards for both writing and photography among all non-daily newspapers across the state for coverage of the social justice demonstrations that swept the city last summer and the resulting removal of Confederate statues.

Additionally, the Free Press captured the News Sweepstakes Award for large, non-daily newspapers and won 11 first place awards, two second-place awards and four third place awards in that division.

The annual competition in writing, photography, news presentation and advertising recognized work published in 2020. Winners typically are announced at the VPA’s annual banquet in early April, but because of the pandemic, they were announced during a series of virtual presentations last week.

Members of the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association judged the entries.

The Best in Show Award for Writing was awarded to Jeremy Lazarus, George Copeland Jr., Ronald E. Carrington and Brian Palmer for a package of stories about protests surrounding the Confederate statues in Richmond and their removal.

The judges wrote: “In a crowded field of some truly extraordinary journalism, this robust package chronicling the debate surrounding the removal of local Confederate statues was well-researched, roundly sourced and expertly written. The group effort showed a consistent and thorough knowledge of the matter, along with follow ups that added more context and nuance with each additional article.”

Regina H. Boone and Sandra Sellars won the Best in Show Award for Photography for a package of photographs of the widespread and continuous social justice protests in Richmond spawned by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police.

The judges wrote: “Good variety of photos tell the story here.”

While the Free Press has won four Best in Show Awards in photography, advertising and graphic design in 2004, 2012 and 2014, this is the first Sweepstakes Award in the newspaper’s 29-year history.

“The recognition earned by Richmond Free Press writers and photographers from the Virginia Press Association is richly deserved and much appreciated,” said Free Press Publisher Jean Patterson Boone. “They covered 2020 Richmond fiercely and truthfully. They took risks to cover the stories in spite of COVID-19.

“I am so grateful for our entire team. I know our founder, Ray Boone, is smiling from above.”

First-place awards went to:

•April Coleman, Free Press vice president for production, for advertising in both the entertainment and professional services categories;

• Ms. Sellars, in the breaking news, general news and sports feature photography categories;

• Ms. Boone, in the pictorial photo category;

• Ms. Boone and Ms. Sellars, in the picture story or essay category;

• Mr. Carrington, for education writing;

• Reginald Stuart, freelance writer, in the feature series or continuing story category;

• Mr. Lazarus, Free Press vice president for news enhancement; Mr. Copeland; Mr. Carrington; and Brian Palmer, freelance writer and photographer, for general news writing; and

• Bonnie V. Winston, Free Press managing editor, for editorial writing.

Second place honors went to:

• Ms. Coleman, for page design, and

• Ms. Boone, Ms. Sellars and Mr. Palmer, for picture

story or essay.

Third place honors went to:

• Ms. Coleman, for small space ads;

• Ms. Boone, for breaking news photo;

• Ms. Sellars, for personality or portrait photo; and

• Mr. Lazarus, for feature series or continuing story.