Five papers won the major "sweepstakes" awards for garnering the most individual award points in their respective divisions. They are The Baltimore Sun, Carroll County Times, The Aegis, Ocean City Today and Cape Gazette.

MDDC President Carol D. Melamed, vice president of government affairs for The Washington Post, noted this year’s contest attracted 743 entries, the second highest number of participants in recent memory, and a record 55 newspapers participated in the competition. "This is an excellent example of the vibrancy of newspaper advertising," she said. "I congratulate you all."

Best of Show awards went to the following persons whose work was judged the best overall in each of the contest categories:

Category 1 - Best Retail Ad, Less than 1/2 Page - Julie Kichline (The Aegis)

Category 2 - Best Retail Ad, 1/2 Page or Larger -

Scott Ament (Daily Times)

Category 3 - Local Retail, Spot Color - Judy Boyle (Baltimore Sun)

Category 5 - Local Retail Campaign, Black & White - Art Department (The Aegis)

Category 6 - Local Retail Campaign, Color - Stephanie Staib, Donna Wiles, Christine Cermak, Manette Cramer (Ocean City Today)

Category 7 - Best Special Section - Tina Winmill, Janice Rash, Retail Staff (Cecil Whig)

Category 8 - Linage Builder - Christine Maine, Dave Walburn, Toni Whitehead (Salisbury News & Advertiser)

Category 9 - Best Promotion House Ads -Tiffany Talluto Buck, Rosetta Smith, Larry Wilbur, Krystal Nuhn (Montgomery County Sentinel)

Category 10 - Classified Promotion House Ads - Kristen Mastroianni (Legal Times)

Category 11 - Print Promotion of Newspaper - Elizabeth Bylan (Washington Times)