The Covington News captured five first place awards and won second place in general excellence, an overall quality award, in its division in the 2012 Georgia Press Association award contest.

The News' earned second place in general excellence - the top category awarded each year - on the strength of its 16 overall awards.

First place awards were earned for editorial writing, editorial cartoonist, humorous column, in-house publication (Locked Up) and sports feature photograph.

"We're proud of the accomplishments of our excellent staff, which really cares about quality journalism and the community it serves," General Manager T. Pat Cavanaugh said. "It's great to be able to earn the respect of our peers, and each award is a personal honor for a job well done. However, as always, our goal is to earn the respect of the citizens of Newton County and to become a part of their daily lives. We will strive toward that goal and to get better at what we do every single day."

Columnist Paula Travis took both first and second place in the humorous column category for her columns about the travails and mishaps of home life and her experiences as a former English teacher and current newspaper proofreader.

Reporter Amber Pittman took home three awards, including second place in education coverage, third place in investigative reporting for her look at the slow pace of the judicial system and first place in in-house publication for her efforts as editor of the weekly crime-based publication "Locked Up" which was published during part of 2011.

The editorial staff won first place for editorial writing for its take on the Covington mayoral race and former candidate Bobby Sigman, who was arrested for paying a man to steal the campaign signs of his opponent Ronnie Johnston.

Cartoonist Dale Neseman won first place for editorial cartoonist for his takes on the Covington mayoral race and the struggle for power between the Newton County Board of Commissioners and Chairman Kathy Morgan.

The News also took second place for headline writing and third place for overall local news coverage, page one design, feature writing, sports column, photo essay and best online news project.

List of winners:
Editorial Cartoonist: Division WEEKLY: 1st Place, The Covington News, Dale Neseman
In House Publication: 1st Place, The Covington News, Locked Up
Editorial Writing: 1st Place, The Covington News
Humorous Column: 1st Place, The Covington News, Paula Travis
Sports Feature Photograph: 1st Place, The Covington News, Josh Briggs

Headline Writing: 2nd Place, The Covington News
General Excellence: 2nd Place, The Covington News
Education Coverage: 2nd Place, The Covington News, Amber Pittman
Humorous Column: 2nd Place, The Covington News, Paula Travis

Local News Coverage: 3rd Place, The Covington News
Page One: 3rd Place, The Covington News
Investigative Reporting: 3rd Place, The Covington News, Amber Pittman
Feature Writing: 3rd Place, Gabriel Khouli, Feature Writing
Sports Column: The Covington News, Josh Briggs
Photo Essay: 3rd Place, The Covington News, Brittany Thomas
Best Online News Project: 3rd Place, The Covington News, William Brawley and Gabe Khouli;