Yellowknife (May 14/04) - Deh Cho Drum finished first in one contest, third in two others and was named second best paper overall in its class at the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association awards.

The AWNA Awards of Excellence were presented on the weekend.

The Drum's editorial page was named best in its circulation class and finished third for best sports page.

It won kudos from the judge in placing second behind the Nanton (Alta.) News as Best All Around newspaper.

"(The Drum) did so by placing first in Editorial/Opinion and Production Quality. They were second in Community News and Local Features and third in Sports," wrote the judge.

"The Drum has a huge territory to cover. To their credit, they do a great job.

"The paper, overall, has a nice breezy open style, effectively utilizing large pictures, good-sized font and sharp layout to attract the eye of its readers."

The awards will continue for the Drum. It's among the top three finishers in its class in the Canadian Community Newspapers Association general excellence category. That award will be announced in June.