JACKSON — The Natchez Democrat staff won 20 total awards, including 11 first-place awards and first in the overall advertising excellence category,  Saturday at the Mississippi Press Association’s Mid-Winter Conference Better Newspaper Advertising Awards luncheon.

Among the first-place awards were honors for Natchez the Magazine, the football section and The Gift.

Judges described Natchez the Magazine as a “classy,” “interesting” and said “I would pick this up and read!”

In most categories, The Democrat competes against other Mississippi newspapers with a similar circulation size — between 9,000 and 15,000 daily — including The Hattiesburg American, The Vicksburg Post, The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus), The Meridian Star, The (McComb) Enterprise-Journal and others. In other categories, The Democrat competes against either all daily newspapers in the state or against larger dailies.

First-place awards included:

• Advertising Excellence — Democrat staff

• Institutional Advertisement (color) — Natchez Children’s Home-Big Smiles — Rita Brooks.

• Service Advertisement (black and white) — Adams County Deputy Sheriffs Rodeo — Democrat staff.

• Service Advertisement (color) — Green Alliance-Recycle — Staff.

• Grocery or Restaurant Advertisement (black and white) — The Donut Shop — Democrat staff.

• Automotive Advertising (color) — East Automotive — Staff

• Theme page — Cartoon Map — Democrat staff.

• Advertising House Ad — Thank Mom — Charla Herbert.

• Website House Ad — The Taste of Natchez, The Markets — Justin Clarkston.

• Magazine Periodical — Natchez the Magazine — Democrat staff.

• Silver Dollar Idea — The Gift — Democrat staff.

• Advertising Special Section Glossy — Football 2013 — Democrat staff.

Second-place awards included:

• Institutional Advertisement (color) — Trinity School-Prepare to Excel, Justin Clarkson.

• Institutional Advertisement (black and white) — Trinity School-Excel-Trinity, Justin Clarkson.

• Editorial Special Section-newsprint (newsprint) — Profile 2013 — Democrat staff.

• Classified Page or Section — The Natchez Democrat.

• Grocery or Restaurant Advertisement (black and white) — Cotton Alley — Staff.

Third-place awards included:

• Institutional Advertisement (black and white) — Democrat staff.

• Auto Advertisement (black and white) — Trace City Toyota — Rita Brooks.

• Service Advertisement (black and white) — Adams County Sheriff — Tim Givens.