Our Opinion

The Orange County Review received nine awards Saturday evening at the annual Virginia Press Association awards banquet in downtown Norfolk.
The Review earned five first-place awards, two second-place awards and two third-place awards.
The Review competes against more than 60 other newspapers in the under-6,000 circulation category.
Newspapers enter writing, layout and photography categories which are then judged by another state press association. This year, the Indiana Press Association judged Virginia’s entries. Points are awarded for first (3), second (2) and third (1) place finishes and tallied at the end of the evening.
Collectively, the Review accumulated 21 points to finish runner up to the Nelson County Times (30 points) for the annual sweepstakes award, given to the paper with the most points across writing, photography and layout categories.
The Review won the sweepstakes award last year.
The Review’s “Insider” section was well-received among the judges who honored the insert for its outstanding writing, layout and design.
Phil Audibert and Jeff Poole shared a first place with the “Insider” in the specialty pages/sections category. The judges wrote, “Wonderful! Nicely laid out-appealing. Nice photo use, headlines, type and color-all the way through.“
On the strength of his “Insider” feature stories, Phil Audibert collected five awards for the Review Saturday night.
Audibert earned a first-place in the business and financial writing category for Insiders on Henry’s Store, Randy Cooper at Elmwood at Sparks and Tony Wilson in “A Tale of Two Tauruses.“ 
The judges wrote, “Compelling stories-all three. I can tell you spent quality time with the people you featured and liked them. Lots of facts presented in a friendly, conversational manner. Nice work. A fascinating look into the world of salvage.“
Audibert also received a first-place award in the feature series/continuing story category for two “Insiders” about Montpelier.
“Well researched. The writer investigated many aspects of the subject,“ the judges wrote. “Clearly written and informative.“
The judges also liked his health, science and environmental stories entry, awarding him another first place for pieces about Dr. Merrick and his laser therapy, Dr. Elliott’s cheese-making enterprise and Paul Manning’s baby formula business in Gordonsville.
“Great detail on three very different subject matters,“ the judges wrote. “Nice presentation of the stories.“
Audibert’s “Insider” stories also earned him a third-place in the feature writing portfolio category, where his entry included, “The Best Bacon Cheeseburger in Orange County,“ “Postcards” and “Gone Huntin’.“  He also picked up a third-place in the sports writing portfolio category for stories about paintball, bucking bulls and hunting.
Review reporter Hannah Wever and freelance photographer John Strader were recognized Saturday as well.
Wever earned a second-place award in the public safety writing division for “Code Red Herring,“ “Slow down, move over” and Murder charges filed.“
“These are detailed reports handled well by the writer,“ the judges wrote.
Wever and Strader shared a first-place award in the combination pictures and story category for their piece about reenactors “Reliving history.“
“An in-depth and thorough look at Civil War reenactors and why they do what they do,“ the judges wrote. “Good variety of photos capture the spirit of the event. Overall, outstanding work.“
Strader also received a second-place award in the picture story/essay category for his photographs from last year’s Orange County Schools’ fine arts fair.