Last week was the Minnesota Newspaper Association convention which included the Better Newspaper Contest awards banquet. I learned in December that I won awards in two categories - News Photo and Photo Story - but didn't know what place or photos won.

It was great to find out I took home two second place awards, one for the Post-Bulletin and one for the Winona Daily News. On top of that, the Post-Bulletin was in the top three daily newspapers for most awards/points.

My favorite part of the convention is seeing familiar faces in the newspaper industry and being inspired by the great work on display by Minnesota journalists.

Here's what the judges had to say about the entries:

News Photo - Second Place

"Touching photo that really adds to the story."

Veteran Burial 01More than 100 people attend the graveside service for Vietnam veteran Richard Rhodes on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015, at St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona. Rhodes, with no surviving family, was given full military honors in a short service.

Photo Story - Second Place

"What fun! Each photo introduces a different element in telling a visual story of a simple pastime."