Burlington, Vt. – Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent weekly newspaper, won eight awards at the Vermont Press Association ceremony last Thursday in Montpelier.

The awards are an annual competition among the daily and nondaily newspapers in the state of Vermont.

Seven Days won eight awards including:

• General Excellence, nondaily: First Place, Seven Days
• John D. Donoghue Award for Arts Criticism, including daily and nondaily media:
  • Second Place: Margot Harrison

• Best State Story, nondaily: Second Place, Ken Picard; Third Place, Paul Heintz
• Feature Writing, nondaily: First Place, Ken Picard; Third Place, Paul Heintz
• Best Website, nondaily: First Place, Seven Days
• Best Headline Writing, nondaily: First Place, Paula Routly

Seven Days is proud and honored to receive these awards. The judges noted the paper’s “huge sense of place” and “terrifically readable and well-presented articles.” Their summary judgment in selecting Seven Days as the winner of the “General Excellence” award among nondaily Vermont newspapers: “Kudos to the New Yorker of the North.”

Da Capo Publishing Inc., dba Seven Days, was founded by Pamela Polston and Paula Routly in 1995. In addition to its five free publications, the company also produces two annual events: Vermont Restaurant Week and the Vermont Tech Jam, a job fair and tech expo.

In 2000, the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce selected then-5-year-old Seven Days as Business of the Year. Eight years later, the Burlington Business Association did the same, citing the company’s exemplary business practices, contributions to the community and promotion of a positive image for Burlington, as well as business success. In 2013, Editor & Publisher selected Seven Days for inclusion in its annual feature “10 Newspapers That Do It Right.”