Once again, the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper have proved themselves to be among the best in New England.

The two Midcoast weeklies won five awards during the 2014 New England Newspaper Press Association’s Better Newspaper competition.

The awards ceremony took place Feb. 20-21, 2015 at the Boston Seaport Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.

Arts & Entertainment Editor Lisa Kristoff won first place with her June 2014 feature on Edgecomb designer/furniture-maker Eben Blaney.

The judges credited Kristoff for looking “beyond the conventional to develop this warm and informative feature.”

“A descriptive, inviting lead hooks the readers and guides them through a comprehensive examination of one man’s gift for creating artistic expression that is fulfilling and functional,” the judges state.

Kristoff has worked at the Register for 16 years, full-time for the past 9, and has been arts and entertainment editor since June 2013, previously serving as assistant editor and reporter.

Kristoff has been the recipient of several Maine Press Association awards, but this is her first New England Press award.

Wiscasset Newspaper Assistant Editor Susan Johns took home two awards for her video work: one second place for spot news video, which featured on-the-spot reporting of a landslide in Alna; and a third place for news video, which featured a Wiscasset ceremony honoring veterans on D-Day’s 70th anniversary.

Johns has worked at the Wiscasset Newspaper since 2008, and has served as assistant editor since May 2014.

Johns' reporting has been recognized by Maine Press Association and Maine Media Women; these are her first honors from NENPA.

Wiscasset Newspaper Staff Reporter Ben Bulkeley won second place for a sports video with his feature video on Hidden Valley Nature Center’s 2014 Biathlon event, an annual competition in Jefferson that combines shooting pellet guns and cross country skiing.

Bulkeley has worked at the paper since September 2012.

Bulkeley has won several Colorado Press Association and Maine Press awards; this is his first NENPA award.

The Register also won third place for “Pure Advertising Niche Publication” for its 2014 Summertime Guide, which featured a smaller, magazine style size and a glossy cover, among other changes.

All awards were judged in the newspaper’s category of Weekly Class 1, which denotes those with a circulation of up to 5,999.

"Great awards for great work,” Chief Operating Officer Kipp Wright said of the NENPA awards. “(I’m) proud to see the recognition from our news industry peers from across New England.”

Publisher A.R. Tandy also congratulated the paper, calling the wins “outstanding.” 

“It makes me proud to say that I am a small part of (the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper) team,” Tandy said of the wins.

In addition, the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper’s other sister paper, the online-only Penobscot Bay Pilot, based in Camden, took home three awards, one for best overall website, and a second and third place for best multimedia coverage.