The Lehigh Valley Press newspapers won 29 awards in the 2016 Professional Keystone Press Awards.

That’s more than double the 12 awards the Lehigh Valley Press won in the 2015 Professional Keystone Press Awards.

The Bethlehem Press, one of the eight Lehigh Valley Press newspapers, won the Sweepstakes Award for the third straight year.

In addition to the Division VII Sweepstakes Award, which is based on the most number of awards and points won in a given division, The Bethlehem Press won 21 Keystones, more than double the 10 awards won in the 2015 Professional Keystone Press Awards.

“The publishers wish to congratulate the editors, writers and photographers at our Press Weekly Newspaper Group for the outstanding success of their entries into the Keystone Press Awards Contest,” said Fred Masenheimer, Publisher, Times News, LLC.

“It is that quality of work recognized by the judges that our writers and photographers bring week in and week out to the pages of the Press newspapers that our subscribers get to enjoy.

“We are especially proud of those who contributed to the third in a row Sweepstakes Award for the Bethlehem Press. Congratulation to all who contributed to this ‘best of the best’ award,” Masenheimer said.

Bethlehem Press

Here are the 2016 Professional Keystone Press Awards recipients for the Bethlehem Press:

Bernie O’Hare, First Place, Investigative Reporting: Martin Tower issue

Katya Hrichak, Second Place, General News: If we light a candle

Michelle Meeh, Honorable Mention, Ongoing News Coverage: Martin Tower rezoning issue

Staff, First Place, Special Project: Hoover-Mason Trestle photos, history, “People Say”

Chris Parker, Nate Jastrzemski, Katya Hrichak, First Place, Series: A growing epidemic

Katie McDonald, Second Place, Sports Story: Where there’s a Will, there’s a way

Pete Car, Honorable Mention, Sports Story: Makovsky UFC

Carole Gorney, First Place, News Feature Story: What the public hears

Bernie O’Hare, Honorable Mention, News Beat Reporting: Northampton County government beat

Katie McDonald, First Place, Sports Beat Reporting: Bethlehem Catholic’s run to state softball title

Pete Car, Honorable Mention, Sports Beat Reporting: Darrun Hilliard’s road to the NBA

Tim Gilman, Honorable Mention, Feature Photo: Kids and the Pope

Tim Gilman, First Place, Photo Story-Essay: A berry good time

George Taylor, First Place, Front Page Design: July 8, Aug. 26, Sept. 9

Scott Pagel, First Place, Headline Writing: Where there’s a Will, there’s a way; Finally golden!; In a rush, Alpaugh takes 2nd

Ed Courrier, First Place, Graphic-Photo Illustration: Antivaxers

Focus

The Focus section, which is in all eight Lehigh Valley Press newspapers, received four awards in the 2016 Professional Keystone Press Awards:

Paul Willistein, Second Place, Special Project: Student Poetry Project

Bud Cole, Second Place, Sports-Outdoor Column, for three “Bud’s View” columns: Snow, and plenty of snow geese; White-tailed deer glad winter over, too; Rocky the Flying Squirrel a misnomer

Paul Willistein, Honorable Mention, Feature Beat Reporting: Quite an ‘Impression’; ‘Les Miserables’; ‘Avenue Q’; International cinema; Paris Attacks; ABEs

Dave Rowe, First Place, Page Design: Zeyu Victor Li, Schadt String Competition winner youngest in event’s 20-year history

Salisbury Press

Salisbury Press won three Keystones:

Debbie Galbraith, First Place, Column, for three columns: Start the conversation; order a pizza if you need to; Leave the county seal alone, let commissioners know what you think; Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service ... can never be repaid

Todd Kress, First Place, Sports Story: Sabrina Mertz, Sarah Segan, Athlete of Year

Nancy Scholz, First Place, Sports Photo: Denny Bonner diving

Parkland Press

Parkland Press won three Keystones:

Bonnie Lee Strunk, Honorable Mention, Column, for three columns: Sometimes the problem really is in your head; Could you use a bear hug?; Living a century is a worthy quest

Debra Palmieri, Second Place, Editorial, for three editorials: FBI masquerades as journalist; It’s about time, some Lehigh Valley school districts considering full-day kindergarten; The absurdity of prejudice

Debra Palmieri, Second Place, Headline Writing: Cat call has firefighters up a tree; Sportsmen bag trophies for best mounts; Families kids have ‘rad’ time visiting LV Zoo’s RAD Center

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Whitehall-Coplay Press won one Keystone:

Robin Eberhardt, Second Place, Series: Fighting Hunger series

Catasauqua Press

Catasauqua Press won one Keystone:

Mark Reccek, Honorable Mention, News Feature Story: Sending their love heavenward

Northampton Area Middle School insert

Paul Willistein, First Place, Niche Publication, Northampton Area Middle School tab

The Bethlehem Press, Salisbury Press, Parkland Press and Whitehall-Coplay Press won awards in Division VII, Weekly Publications, under 5,000 circulation. The Focus section winners were included in the Bethlehem Press entries.

The Keystone Press Awards, for work published in 2015, will be presented at the contest sponsor Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA) Keystone Press Awards Banquet, May 21 at the Hilton Harrisburg.

The Lehigh Valley Press newspapers print editions and web sites are: East Penn Press, Salisbury Press, Parkland Press, Northwestern Press, Whitehall-Coplay Press, Catasauqua Press, Northampton Press and Bethlehem Press.