Fort Simpson (May 13/05) - Deh Cho Drum was named best in its class, one of two awards in a recent Alberta newspaper competition.

The Drum was more than 70 points ahead of its nearest competition in the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association general excellence competition.

"Good cultural coverage. Excellent photography. Good use of colour," wrote judge Don Sorchych, publisher of the Sonoran News, a weekly newspaper near Phoenix in Arizona.

These were among six prizes earned by Northern News Services publications.

In addition to winning the overall general excellence competition Inuvik Drum also won the award for best front page.

"Large photos and bold heads make this an attractive paper. Editor is not afraid of creative layouts on photo pages," wrote the judges, workers from the West Valley View, another Arizona newspaper.

They called the front page unique which "made the (Inuvik) Drum stand out."

Yellowknifer won two awards, second overall in its class and third in best sports page competition.

"A fun read" was how an Arizona newspaper editor described Yellowknifer, which finished second overall at recent Alberta newspaper awards.

"I love all the photos and the mix of news, business, community and sports coverage," wrote John Conway, managing editor of the Ahwatukee Foothills News of Phoenix, Arizona.