CHARLESTON — The Weirton Daily Times collected 21 awards, including nine first-place recognitions, as part of the 2025 West Virginia Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

The newspaper competes in the WVPA’s Division II, which includes the smaller daily publications in the state.

The awards were presented during the annual WVPA convention, held Saturday on the campus of the University of Charleston, and honoring news, sports, and editorial writing, along with advertising work done in 2024.

“I’m incredibly proud of our news, sports and advertising staffs for consistently being recognized by their peers through the West Virginia Press Association contest,” said Managing editor Craig Howell. “It reinforces the importance of community journalism and the work we do the inform our readers of the events of the Tri-State Area.”

Howell and former staff writer Christopher Dacanay won first place in the Breaking News category for their coverage of the EF2 tornado which tore through portions of Hancock and Jefferson counties in May 2024, chronicling the damage from the storm and early recovery efforts.

Individually, Howell brought home first and third-place awards in the Business, Economic or Labor Reporting category for his coverage of the idling of Weirton’s tinplate facilities and the announcement of a proposed transformer manufacturer, as well as first place in Best Headline Writing.

Staff writer Warren Scott earned a third-place finish in the News Photography category for “Off They Go!,” a photograph showcasing the annual Oil Can Derby race as part of Wellsburg’s Independence Day festivities.

Dacanay also received a third-place photography award, in the Feature Photography category, for “Naughty or Nice,” showing depictions of St. Nicholas and Zwarte Piet during Steubenville’s 2024 St. Nicholas Lantern Parade.

Sports editor Andrew Grimm was recognized with four awards in this year’s contest, receiving two second-place and two third-place finishes.

Grimm took second- and third-place spots in Best Sports Event Reporting, along with second place in Best Sports Columnist, and third place in Sports Photography. The photography award was for “Broken Up,” a photo from the October 2024 football game between Oak Glen and Steubenville Catholic Central.

Community editor Julie Stenger earned two first-place awards, in the categories of Best Lifestyles Feature and Best Lifestyle Columnist.

A staff award also was earned with a first place in Best Sports Special Section for “High School Football 24,” the newspaper’s high school football preview.

In the advertising categories, the newspaper received three first-place awards — in the categories of Best Color Ad, Quarter Page or Less; Best Process Color Ad, Larger Than a Quarter Page; and Best Theme Pages.

The advertising staff also received a second-place award in Best Special Section-Sports, and four third-place awards in the categories of Best Process Color Ad, Larger Than a Quarter Page; Best Agency Advertisement; Best Classified Section; and Best Online Newspaper Promotional Campaign.

This year’s contest was judged by members of the New York Press Association and The New York News Publishers Foundation.