Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent newsweekly, won 14 first-place awards in this year’s New England Better  Newspaper Competition — including for general excellence and top honors in business, crime and courts, education, health, human interest, religion, science and sports-feature reporting. Eva Sollberger received first place in all four video categories. The paper also won seven second-place and one third-place awards — 22 total.

The contest is organized by the New England Newspaper & Press Association; winners were announced at NENPA’s annual convention last weekend in Boston.
NENPA members submitted more than 3,000 entries in five contest divisions. Seven Days — which circulates 36,000 print copies every Wednesday — competed against numerous other large New England weeklies.

Here’s what judges had to say about Seven Days’ 14 first-place awards:

• General Excellence Award: “Seven Days is a testament to the power of a well conceived, well executed community publication.”
• Business/Economic Reporting for "Who Wants to Work on a Vermont Dairy Farm?" by Chelsea Edgar: “The writer has done considerable digging — literally and figuratively — to bring a microscope to everyday life at a dairy facility.”
• Crime and Courts Reporting for "Trafficked: How the Opioid Epidemic Drives Sexual Exploitation in Vermont" by Kate O'Neill: “Absolutely riveting story about the horrific intersection between opioid addiction and sexual exploitation of women in Vermont.”
• Education Reporting for "Survival of the Smartest" by Molly Walsh: “The graphics were dynamite. The topic, while not new, was covered thoroughly. The writing made me want to keep reading.”
• Health Reporting for "Exploring the Science, and the Snake Oil, Behind Stem Cell Therapy" by Ken Picard: ”Well written and diligently reported.”
• Human Interest Feature Story for "Who Shot Mr. Cheeseface?" by Dan Bolles: “A breezy, fun, breathless whodunit, told with pace and anticipation.”
• Reporting on Religious Issues for "Bible Study on Aisle Three" by Sasha Goldstein: “Mr. Goldstein skillfully reports on the intrusive tactics of an unfamiliar church with traveling members that have arrived in Vermont.”
• Science/Technology Reporting for "Blood, Sweat and Shears" by Sara Tabin: “A first-class work, including in-depth reporting, compelling writing, and some very good explanations of how the reporting was done.”
• Sports Feature Story for "The Mighty Bucks" by Derek Brouwer: “In-depth reporting at its finest, leading to a well-crafted feature story.”
• Entertainment Video for "Burlington High School's dance Team Brings the Crowd" by Eva Sollberger: “This high-energy video really captures the spirit of the school.”
• Feature Video for "Exploring Three Swimming Holes in Lamoille County" by Eva Sollberger: “Beautifully shot and well produced.”
• News Video for "A Recovery Coach Pays it Forward" by Eva Sollberger: “An important story that’s very well told and well produced.”
• Sports Video for "Lily Stilwell Competes in Gymkhana Ice Time Trials on Malletts Bay" by Eva Sollberger: “A very polished, well-produced video that tells an inspiring story.”
• Photo Story for "In Pictures: Monday Night Hockey at Gordon H. Paquette Ice Arena" by James Buck: “Strong set of images to tell the story.”