Journalists and photographers with the Sound Publishing Inc. newspapers in Alaska — the Homer News, Peninsula Clarion and Juneau Empire — won awards last weekend at the annual meeting of the Alaska Press Club.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual conference and awards banquette usually held in Anchorage were canceled, but a Facebook live announcement was held and the results released on April 18.

Taking home awards are:

• Best Reporting on Government or Politics, print/online, small: third place, Megan Pacer, Homer News, “Fish and Game proposes repeal of ban on personal watercraft in areas of Kachemak Bay.”

• Best Sports or Outdoors Column, print/online, large and small: first place, Megan Pacer, Homer News, “Out of the Office;” second place, Jeff Helminiak, Peninsula Clarion, “Out of the Office;” third place, Nick Varney, Homer News, “Reeling ‘Em In.”

• Vern McCorkle Award for Best Business Reporting, print/online, small: second place, Megan Pacer, Homer News “Fritz Creek General Store told resident cat violates code”

• Best Sports Feature, print/online, large and small: second place, Jeff Helminiak, Peninsula Clarion, “Inspired to Run”

• Best Reporting on Government or Politics, print/online, large: third place, Victoria Petersen, Peninsula Clarion, “Satanic Temple invocation prompts protest, walkouts at assembly meeting”

• Best Humor, all media: first place, Nick Varney, Peninsula Clarion, “Unhinged Alaska”

• Best Education Reporting, print/online, large and small: first place, Victoria Petersen, Peninsula Clarion, “A Perennial Challenge in Rural Alaska: Getting and Keeping Teachers”

• Best Short Feature, print/online, small, first place: Alex McCarthy and Michael Penn, Juneau Empire, “Meet the rescuers: Together locals help visitor, save dog”

Peninsula Clarion reporter Victoria Petersen also won first place in a group award for Best Blog, all media, for her work on The Spenardian with fellow members Samantha Davenport, Levi Brown, Young Kim and Yoshina Okamoto.