Yellowknife (July 30/01) - Northern News Services publications were front and centre as national community newspaper awards were handed out in Saskatoon this month.

News/North earned three Canadian Community Newspaper Association awards and other NNSL publications were also honoured.

News/North won second place in the best feature series category for its look at suicide in Nunavut. The series, published in the paper's Nunavut edition, was compiled by Iqaluit bureau chief Kerry McCluskey and former NNSL reporter Maria Canton.

Judges called the series "outstanding."

McCluskey also earned a third-place award for her editorial "Drink up boys" about blood worms in Gjoa Haven's water. The judges said the editorial "had impact."

News/North's advertising team won for third for best house ad and the paper received the association's Blue Ribbon for being among the country's top community newspapers.

Yellowknifer, meanwhile, earned four awards, including first place in the feature series category for a multi-part look at Yellowknife's capital communities. The judges called the series "a pleasure to read."

Walt Humphries was called a "gifted writer" for his Tales from the Dump column, printed in each Friday's Yellowknifer. He finished second in the Outstanding Columnist competition.

Photographer Robert Dall's "A Day at the Beach" finished second among photo essays.

The fourth Yellowknifer award, Best Blooper, was given for a photo that included a suggestively placed thumb.

Kivalliq News editor Darrell Greer won second for his feature series about a polar bear attack. His newspaper was also a Blue Ribbon winner.

A photo of a search for two men in Boot Lake earned the Inuvik Drum editor Malcolm Gorrill top honours in the Spot News category.

Rounding out the awards, the Deh Cho Drum won a Blue Ribbon as one of the top newspapers in its category.