The Fauquier Times-Democrat of Warrenton and Style Weekly of Richmond have each won two best-in-show awards from the Virginia Press Association for work done in 2007.

The awards were presented Saturday at the association’s annual meeting in Roanoke. VPA presented 851 first-, second- and third-place awards for writing, artwork, photography, presentation and multimedia in a competition that included 4,704 entries submitted by 147 member publications.

The best-in-show awards are presented in four competition areas – writing, art, photography and presentation – for each of the contest’s divisions – daily publications, non-daily publications and specialty publications. The winners are chosen from the first-place selections in each of the contest’s categories.

Here are the judges’ choices:

Daily writing – Staff, The Washington Post, for coverage of the April shootings at Virginia Tech. The entry was submitted in the general news writing category and covered several months. The judges wrote, “Clearly the best writing over the entire event. A model of breadth, depth, clarity and sensitivity. This story was a local one for The Post and every other newspaper in Virginia. It was beautifully done.”

Non-daily writing – Don Del Rosso, the Fauquier Times-Democrat, Warrenton, for coverage of a power line proposal. The entry was submitted in the general news writing category. The judges wrote, “It’s hard to cover this kind of subject in a way that engages readers on an ongoing basis. But Del Rosso did so. He managed bright leads but the content was complete, clear and illuminating.”

Specialty writing – Scott Bass, Style Weekly, Richmond, for the one-year anniversary of the slaying of the Harvey family in Richmond, submitted in the general news writing category. The judges wrote, “We suspect that this story got both praise and criticism from the community. It was important that it be written and that it be written well. The writing is sensitive, clear and compelling and a definite winner.”

Daily photography – Alan Kim, The Roanoke Times, for a photograph of police, students and rescue workers at the front door of Norris Hall at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. The picture, submitted in the spot news photo category, was one of two by Kim that made the front page on hundreds of publications around the world. The judges wrote, “This photo is of great historical significance. It is an incredible shot and its content trumps all other considerations. This is an operatic tableau of a tragedy.”

Non-daily photography – AJ McLean, the Loudoun Times-Mirror, Leesburg, for a personality/portrait photo. The judges wrote, “The lighting and concept really make the picture. Cropped very tightly. A fun photo. It caught our eyes right away.”

Specialty photography – Scott Elmquist, Style Weekly, Richmond, for “Sanctuary: Latinos find salvation in the church,” a picture story. The judges wrote, “Great emotions in all photos. Very thorough. The pictures told the story on their own.”

Daily artwork – Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner, for a portfolio of three editorial cartoons. The judges wrote, “They’re funny and easy to read. We especially liked the steroids piece.”

Non-daily artwork – Ben Lansing, The Southside Messenger, Keysville, for an illustration, “Searching for truth.” The judges wrote, “Very clean and gets quickly to the point.”

Specialty artwork – Originally, the awad was announced and presented to Robert Sarsony, of City Magazine in Roanoke, for an illustration, "Seaside Summer." Later, it was discovered that Sarsony had no affiliation with City Magazine as a full- or part-time staff member or freelancer. City Magazine requested that the award be withdrawn.

Daily presentation – The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk. The judges wrote, “We’ve watched the Pilot’s evolving design closely through the years, but they still manage to surprise us – but without jarring us. The clear choice as winner.”

Non-daily presentation – The Fauquier Times-Democrat, Warrenton. The judges wrote, “This newspaper has a traditional look and feel, but it’s well-designed and follows its design stylebook. The presentation is clean, logical and friendly.”

Specialty presentation – Richmond Magazine. The judges wrote, “Solid, professional, easy to navigate. A flat-out beautiful product. We love it.”