JACKSON — The Natchez Democrat won 28 awards, including six first places and the Mississippi Freedom of Information Act Award at the annual Associated Press Managing Editors’ conference Friday.

The Democrat competes with papers in its circulation division in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The FOI award is a statewide award, though, meaning The Democrat competed against several much larger newspapers for the title.

The FOI title was given based on the newspaper’s coverage of the Natchez Board of Aldermen’s attempt to hold a closed meeting on crime late last year. In the final minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, The Democrat and its attorney succeeded convincing the board that the meeting should, legally, be open to the public.

Other awards were:

Editorials — Kevin Cooper, first place for “City’s abuse of law must end.”

Personal columns — Julie Finley, first place for “School board is hurting children”; Ben Hillyer third place for “We all have life to life, even in facing death.”

Spot news — Katie Stallcup, third place for “Pecan factory demolished.”

General feature — Luke Horton, second place for “After all these years”

Business — Vershal Hogan and Adam Koob, second place for ‘‘The business of art”; Hogan, third place for ‘‘Eye in the sky.’’

Interpretive: Adam Koob and Stallcup, first place for ‘‘The right treatment.’’

Spot sports: Jeff Edwards, third place, for ‘‘Never giving Up.’’

Sports columns: Edwards, third place

Spot news photo: Marcus Frazier, second place for ‘‘Local man found dead.’’

General news photo: Destiney Robb, second place for ‘‘Concerned about crime”; Frazier, third place for ‘‘And the winner is.’’

Sports action photo: Hillyer, second place for “What goes up.”

Sports feature photo: Hillyer, first place for ‘‘Girls of summer”; Frazier, second place for “Rain postpones tournament.’’

Feature photo: Robb, first place for ‘‘What a day to fly”; Hillyer, second place for ‘‘Sealed with a smile”; Hillyer, third place for ‘‘Flying high.’’

Illustration: Hillyer, first place for ‘‘The X-Factor”; Robb, third place for ‘‘Sparkling tradition.’’

Multipicture: Hillyer, second place for ‘‘Having a ball.’’

Portrait: Luke Horton, second place for ‘‘Choosing to Live.’’

Headlines: Finley and Horton, second place; Hillyer and Edwards, third place

Graphics: Hillyer, second place for ‘‘Down to the Wire.’’

Layout and design: The Natchez Democrat, second place.