The Winchester Sun staff took home a host of awards Friday night during the annual Kentucky Press Association Excellence in Newspapers contest, including first place overall in the daily 1 class.

The KPA Excellence in Kentucky Newspapers contest is hosted annually in January.

This is the second consecutive year The Sun has taken home the first place title in its class.

In the same class, the Corbin Times Tribune took second place and the Glasgow Daily Time took third.

In addition to the overall award, individual staff members took home a variety of awards.

Long-time reporter Fred Petke earned a number of first place awards for his reporting and photography. Petke placed first for best general news photo, best enterprise or analytical story and best on-going coverage. He also took home a second place award for best breaking news photo.

Former Sun reporter Lashana Harney also took home several awards, including third place for best general news photo, first place for best photo essay and  second place for best enterprise or analytical story.

Sun editor Whitney Leggett won second place for best graphic, second place for best front page and first and second place for best use of social media.

Sports editor Roman West won second place in the best sports photo category for a photo of the George Rogers Clark High School volleyball team celebrating after a victory.

Sun columnist Erin Smith took third place in the best columnist category. Smith’s weekly column, Seeking Connection, publishes in the weekend edition of The Sun.

Petke, Leggett and summer intern Nacogdoches Miller won first place for best graphic for an image depicting the various pieces of equipment in a Clark County Sheriff’s Office cruiser.

Additionally, several awards were presented to the staff as a whole, including first and second place for best special section and first place for best editorial page.

Other papers owned by Boone Newspapers also faired well at the contest with The State Journal in Frankfort taking first in daily class 2, The Advocate-Messenger in Danville taking second in daily class 2 and The Interior Journal in Stanford taking second in weekly class 1.