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The Stanly News & Press brought home six awards in the North Carolina Press Association’s editorial contest.

The awards were announced Friday as part of a virtual conference of the NCPA.

The SNAP was awarded third place in Division C for Overall General Excellence.

Sports Editor Charles Curcio won third place for sports photography. The photo was for “North secures playoff bid with YVC title,” published in the Oct. 26-27, 2019 issue. It features the team lifting teammate Payton Landis after winning the 2019 Yadkin Valley Conference tournament championship.

For the Sept. 19-20, 2020 article “Teachers, staff struggle to adapt to new school year,” reporter Chris Miller won third place in the education reporting category. The story included multiple interviews with teachers, staff and students from Stanly County Schools, Gray Stone Day School, Christ The King Christian Academy and homeschool discussing COVID-19 and the Zoom calls, remote learning, mask wearing, social distancing, temperature checks and other things that came with it. View it by clicking here.

General Manager and editor B.J. Drye won first place for serious columns, third place for headlines and third place for ledes.

The columns included one for a string of tragic events — the death of Albemarle police officer Mike Martin, the fire at law offices downtown and a tornado. Another was about the need for Stanly County to not set a record with COVID-19 deaths. The last one discussed Charlotte Pipe moving to the county and other economic announcements such as Nabell USA, Fiberon and Pfeiffer’s downtown Albemarle campus.

For ledes, the introductory paragraph of a story, Drye’s work included: “Ted Hinson has left the auction house to the ‘highest’ bidder,” “David Hunt has traded in his firearm for his family” and “Ted and Carolyn Burleson were married for more than 73 years. And last Sunday, they left this world much like they spent their life: together.”

Headlines were for “Thanks A Ton,” for Miller’s story on Albemarle High student Graylin Olivieri raising 2,000 pounds of food for Stanly Community Christian Ministry, “Doctor Is In,” for Curcio’s primary election coverage which included a win by Dr. Rufus Lefler, and “Cool As A Cucumber,” Miller’s story about Pelican’s Snoballs opening.