The awards were presented during the advertising conference held June 15 and 16 in the Research Triangle Park. Peggy Marsh won two first-place awards. Johnsie Tipton won a Gold Star special recognition, and Marilyn Bridgeman, who retired from The Pilot in June, won a third-place award.

"It was a good year for us," said Tom Bryant, The Pilot's advertising director.

The Pilot competed in the community newspaper division of papers with circulations of more than 10,000.

The advertising department selected advertisements it had designed to submit to the competition.

"We pick what we think are our best ads," Bryant said of the submission process.

The advertisements were judged by newspapers from another state's press association.

The Pilot's publisher, David Woronoff, said that, while he is pleased with the wins, the awards are only part of the advertising department's operations.

"We're very excited and very proud of all the hard work of our ad reps and our ad designers, winning these awards," Woronoff said. "It's always nice to get recognition for the hard work that takes place throughout the year. Of course, that pales in comparison to all the glowing comments we receive from our customers, which are the most important aspect of this."

Marsh won first place in the "Best Restaurant/Entertain-ment Ad" for the Sandhills Dining Guide, which was designed by Christine Storrs. Her second win was in the "Best Retail Ad" category for a Sears of Aberdeen advertisement designed by Lynne Peterson.

Tipton was recognized with a Gold Star in the "Best Special Section" for her work with Malcolm Blue Farm.

Bridgeman won third place in the "Best Shared Page" category for a Fourth of July page designed by Lynne Peterson.

Marsh and Bryant emphasized that the win was a team effort between the advertising representatives, the advertisers and the graphic designers. Teamwork is key, Bryant said.

"It creates great advertising," he said.

Kirsten Beattie, an intern from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, can be reached at (919) 619-4327.