MINNEAPOLIS &8212; The Albert Lea Tribune won three awards Thursday at the Minnesota Newspaper Association&8217;s annual conference.

The newspaper won first place in the category of Editorial Page as a Whole.

The Tribune competes against small dailies in some contest categories and competes against all dailies &8212; some two or three times larger than the Tribune &8212; in other categories. In this category, the Tribune competed against other small dailies &8212; classified as no bigger than 10,000 circulation.

The MNA Better Newspaper Contest this year was judged by people who work for newspapers in Colorado. In turn, Minnesota newspaper people judged Colorado&8217;s contest.

For Editorial Page as a Whole, the judge wrote:

&8220;Well-designed pages with emphasis on letters to the editor. Variety of columns with a balance of local and syndicated writers. &8216;What They Said&8217; feature is very readable and a nice component to the page. &8216;Let It Snow&8217; was short and bright; a nice change of pace for readers.&8221;

Managing Editor Tim Engstrom oversees the day-to-day content of the editorial page, which is dubbed Hometown Forum, and the Editorial Board generally determines editorial stances. The Editorial Board comprises Engstrom, Publisher Scott Schmeltzer and Assistant Editor Geri McShane.

Tribune Creative Director Stacey Bahr won second place for Best Advertisement. She entered an ad for 4 Seasons Specialty Coffees and competed against all daily newspapers in Minnesota.

The judge wrote:

&8220;I like the three different &8216;businesses&8217; separated but together. Ads are unique and stand out. The copy is easy-to-read and not overwhelming. Great use of space.&8221;

Summer Times, a publication the Tribune produces in the spring to foreshadow summer events, placed second in the category of Best Special Section. The Tribune competed against all daily newspapers in Minnesota.

The judge wrote:

&8220;Excellent piece to promote tourism in and around the Albert Lea area. Not only did you list a calendar of events like everyone else has, you added editorial on several points of interest throughout the area to get readers excited about it. Excellent variety of ads to let readers know what Albert Lea has to offer. Great piece that readers will likely &8216;hold on to&8217; throughout the summer.&8221;

The entire Tribune staff deserves credit for Summer Times winning the award, as everyone on the staff has a role in making it happen.