WestportNow won top honors tonight in the Connecticut Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ annual excellence in journalism awards for 2007.
It was the first year that the group opened its awards competition to Web-only publications.
WestportNow won in the Web: General Excellence, Independent category and in the Web: Breaking News Coverage category for its coverage of the April 2007 nor’easter and resulting flooding. 
Dave Matlow: Named finalist. WN file photo
In addition, WestportNow Editor Jennifer Connic and photographer Dave Matlow were named finalists in the Web: Breaking News Coverage category for their coverage of the controversial January 2007 demolition of the Paul Rudolph-designed home at 16 Minuteman Hill (See WestportNow Jan. 13, 2007), and Emily Hamilton Laux was named a finalist in the Web: Online Feature category for her story on Westporters reflecting on the death of artist Eric von Schmidt (See WestportNow Feb. 6, 2007).
Jessica Bram Contributed photo.
Also winning first place honors was Westporter Jessica Bram, a WestportNow contributor, for her commentary “Silent Sons” which aired on WSHU Public Radio. (Click to listen to “Silent Sons” or read the transcript.)
Westport Magazine won three first place awards: Bruce Plotkin for Magazine Feature Photo “To the Rescue;” Carol Shufro for Magazine Layout Page 1 for “Community of Hope,” and Stacy Bass for Magazine Photo Layout for “The Endless Garden.”
The awards were made at the SPJ chapter’s annual dinner in North Haven.
Well deserved. Congratulations
Jane Beasley
Congratulations to all the winners. The recognition is well earned and well overdue. I am constantly amazed by the timeliness of the postings.
Lance Herman
Westport/Weston Chamber of Commerce
Ditto, ditto! Congratulations to Gordon Joseloff for starting this amazing “blog” (back when most of us didn’t know the word “blog”) and making it a site that we all click on each day for breaking news. Congratulations to all the winners!! WestportNow has made the town feel more friendly and “small town” again (and I first moved to Westport in 1946 with my parents).