The Pilot’s newly redesigned website is already garnering high praise.

Thepilot.com is one of three national finalists for Editor & Publisher Magazine’s “EPpy Award” for “best weekly newspaper-affiliated website.” The magazine recognizes “the best media-affiliated websites across 36 diverse categories.”

The Atlanta Voice in Georgia and Living Lake Country in Wisconsin are the other finalists in the category.

“We are excited about it,” said Publisher David Woronoff. “I’ve received hundreds of comments and ‘atta-boys’ from folks around the community about how much they like our website, which is much more gratifying. That said, it does feel good to get some national recognition for what we’re doing.”

Some of the past winners in the weekly category include the Baltimore City Paper, The Santa Barbara Independent, and WickedLocalPlymouth.com in Massachusetts.

Editor Steve Bouser said the new website has added a new dimension.

“I’m proud of what [Online Editor] Hunter Chase and everyone else on the staff has done to widen and deepen what we do on the Web, and I think this is a well-deserved recognition,” he said.

The Pilot set out to overhaul its website last year to create a more interactive and user-friendly experience for its readers. Since its launch in January, the new site has attracted thousands of registered users, who can now easily comment on news stories, write their own blogs and connect with others around the county.

“We wanted the website to reflect the diversity of our community,” Chase said.

Since the site has launched, it has averaged 250,000 visitors a month, who have looked at an average of 1.1 million pages a month, according to webmaster Mark Bamberry.

“From my standpoint, it’s only going to get better,” he said. “We’ve only just begun.”

The winners will be announced on June 17 in Las Vegas.

“It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff,” Woronoff said. “They come to work every day trying to make it the best possible site it can be.”

Contact John Krahnert III by e-mail at jkrahnert@thepilot.com.