BOSTON — February 7, 2005 — Boston’s Weekly Dig, the region’s fastest-growing alternative/entertainment weekly newspaper, has won two prestigious awards from the New England Press Association’s (NEPA) Better Newspaper Contest 2004. The contest winners were announced at the annual NEPA convention, which was held on February 4-5, 2005.

Boston’s Weekly Dig was awarded first place for “Reporting on Religious Issues.” The winning entry, written by Lissa Harris and featured in issue #5.5 of Boston’s Weekly Dig on December 10, 2004, looked at two young men who were expelled from the seminary.

NEPA also awarded the newspaper third place for “General News Reporting.” The winning entry, written by Bobby Iafolla, was featured in issue #6.15 on April 14, 2004, and dealt with the Boston Globe’s hypocritical stance on labor unions.

“It’s obviously an honor,” said editor Joe Keohane, “especially given that it’s our first year in NEPA. I think I speak for Lissa, Bobby and myself when I say we are as happy about winning as we were disappointed by having to pay for all our own drinks at the awards dinner.”

NEPA is an organization promoting growth and excellence in community journalism through technology, networking, education and recognition among its members. The Better Newspaper Contest is an opportunity for them to honor newspapers for superior reporting on a range of newsworthy topics each year. Area newspapers compete for first, second, and third place prizes by entering examples of published articles that fall under each journalistic category.

The contest is open to any weekly or daily newspaper, which is a regular, active member of The New England Press Association. Their Better Newspaper Contest has grown to be among the biggest and most respected contests of its kind in the country, drawing more than 5,000 entries in some 60 plus categories including Newspaper of the Year and Journalist of the Year.

For more information about The Weekly Dig, visit their Web site or call 617.426.8942.