The staff of the Wiscasset Newspaper won four awards at the 2007 Maine Press Association's Annual Conference held at the Samoset Resort on October 12 and 13.

Editor Paula Gibbs was elected to the association's board of directors for a two-year term.

The newspaper took first place for front page design. Reporter Barbara Martin took a second place for her feature headline, "A Ticket To Ride," and a third place critic's award for "Tunnell's Boys," a book review. Gibbs took third place for an editorial entitled "Bungled BANS Bids."

Thirty-six newspapers entered the contest in weekly, daily and weekend divisions, submitting more than 1,500 entries in all. The two-day conference drew more than 280 people. Kevin Burnham, the editor of the Boothbay Register, was elected president of the association. Burnham has served three years on the board and succeeds Diane Norton of Courier Publications based in Rockland.