L’Observateur newspaper took home the coveted Newspaper of the Year award at the 133rd annual Louisiana Press Association convention held April 20 in Baton Rouge.

The paper earned the prestigious award by having the highest number of points across both the Editorial and Advertising divisions of the contest. Additionally, L’Observateur won first place in the Editorial Sweepstakes contest.

Besides these two overall awards, L’Observateur won 13 individual first place awards. These included:

• General Excellence;

• Best Front Page;

• Best Editorial Page;

• Best Single Editorial;

• Best Overall Sports Coverage;

• Best Lifestyle Coverage;

• Best News Photo;

• Best Special Section – Editorial;

• Best Staff-generated Color Ad;

• Best Multiple Advertiser Page;

• Best Classified Section or Page;

• Best Online Advertising – Single Ad, Static; and

• Best Online Advertising – Single Ad, Animated.

In all, L’Observateur gathered 32 awards during the annual gala.

Said General Manager and Managing Editor David Vitrano: “I was completely elated when they announced L’Observateur as Newspaper of the Year for our division. Every award we have won since I have been with the newspaper has meant a lot to me, but the awards this year are especially meaningful because a restructuring of the divisions based on circulation alone meant L’Observateur was competing against a much larger and more even field than in previous years. So to be recognized in this way, it just gives me and my staff a real sense of pride and validation for all the work we put into creating a quality product week after week.”