BILOXI — The Natchez Democrat staff won 24 total awards, including 8 first-place awards, Saturday at the Mississippi Press Association’s 2016 Better Newspaper Contest.

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 a few categories, The Democrat competed against all daily newspapers in the state.

Fifty-one newspapers submitted a total of 2,089 entries to the contest.

First-place awards were:

4Spot news story — Lindsey Shelton, “Floodwaters force Crosby residents to flee.”

4General interest columns — Kevin Cooper.

4Feature photograph — Nicole Hester, “Block party.”

4Pictorial series — Hester, “Faces of the flood.”

4Personality portrait — Hester, “Lighting them up.”

4Front page — Ben Hillyer.

4Design —Hillyer.

4Headlines — Taylor Denman, “Take it or retrieve it, Von to the next phase, Ruff competition.”

Second-place awards were:

4General excellence —staff.

4General news photograph — Nicole Hester, “Kiss school goodbye.”

4Spot news photograph — Hester, “Two found dead in parish.”

4Personality portrait — Hester, “I can beat you.”

4Sports page — sports staff.

4Special section — staff, “Profile 2016.”

4Website — staff.

Third-place awards were:

4General news story — Shelton, “New oaths, new divisions.”

4 General news photograph — Hillyer, “Bye bye balloons.”

4Sports feature photograph — Hester, “Storm warning.”

4Feature photograph — Hester, “Pool party.”

4Pictorial series — Hillyer, “Deep subjects.”

4Photo-story combination — Vershal Hogan and Hester, “Acting with hope.”

4Editorials —staff.

4Special section — staff, “Football Preview 2016.”

4Magazine periodical — Natchez the Magazine.