Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent newsweekly, won nine first-place awards in this year’s New England Better Newspaper Competition — including top honors in investigative, history, social issue and religious issue reporting. The paper also won nine second-place and seven third-place awards — 25 total.

The contest is organized by the New England Newspaper & Press Association; winners were announced at NENPA’s annual convention — held virtually this year — on April 8. This competition is the largest and most comprehensive journalism recognition program in New England.

Seven Days’ first-place awards included:

• Investigative Reporting: “Guarded Secrets: Claims of Sexual Misconduct, Drug Use Plague a Vermont Prison for Women” by Paul Heintz
• Arts and Entertainment Reporting: “Public Libraries Adapt to the 21st Century … and Uphold Democracy” by Seven Days staff
• History Reporting: “Refugee Who Survived the 'Voyage of the Damned' Says 'People Haven't Learned Anything'” by Colin Flanders
• Excellence in Newsroom Collaboration: “Worse for Care” by Derek Brouwer and Andrea Suozzo
• Social Issue Feature: “HOWLing at the Moon: A Women's Collective Grapples With a Gender-Fluid Future” by Chelsea Edgar
• Reporting on Religious Issue: “Good News? Evangelicals Are 'Planting' Dozens of Churches in Vermont's Rocky Soil” by Chelsea Edgar
• Headline Writing: Seven Days Staff
• Sports Video: “Stuck in Vermont: Green Mountain Athletic Association 10K in Scenic Charlotte” by Eva Sollberger
• Feature Video: “Stuck in Vermont: The Downes Family Recovers From COVID-19” by Eva Sollberger