Staffers at The Vicksburg Post brought home 21 awards — including five first place honors — Saturday in the Mississippi Press Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest in Biloxi.

This year’s big winner was sports reporter Ernest Bowker, who earned first place awards for sports news story, “The game has changed,” sports feature story, “Time management,” on the many duties of high school teachers and coaches, and sports feature photo, “At the end of the day.”

Staff writer Terri Cowart Frazier earned a first place award for best feature story on her story “Their Little Girls,” featuring the fathers of Vicksburg’s Miss Mississippi contestants, and the staff of The Vicksburg Post won first place for best website.

“We at The Post, who work alongside these talented people every day, know they are winners. It’s gratifying to see the quality of their work recognized among their peers,” said Jan Griffey, general manager of The Vicksburg Post.

“Each day is a joy to work along these talented journalists, these friends,” Post editor Tim Reeves. “While it is thrilling to see their work honored by their peers, these professionals do their job for the readers of The Post and the residents of Vicksburg and Warren County.”

Bowker also won second place awards for sports action photo and third place awards for sports news story, sports column, sports feature and best sports page or section.

Frazier won second place honors for feature story, spot news photo, lifestyles pages and commentary column.

John Surratt won a second place award for best spot news story and the staff of The Vicksburg Post won second place honors for best editorial page, best magazine (Vicksburg Living) and best design.

Photographer Courtland Wells won a third place nod for best personality portrait and Surratt earned third place for best in-depth investigative coverage.

The 2016 Better Newspaper Contest was judged by volunteers from the Kentucky Press Association. Fifty-one Mississippi newspapers submitted a total of 2,089 entries into this year’s editorial contest.