The Vineyard Gazette won 30 awards this weekend at an annual New England newspaper competition, including top prizes in photography and special recognition for innovation in journalism through its Historic Movies of Martha’s Vineyard project.

The New England Newspaper and Press Association’s Better Newspaper competition awards were announced Saturday night at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston during the annual weekend-long small newspaper convention. The Gazette won 12 first-place awards for reporting and writing, photography, design and digital publishing.

Mark Lovewell won top recognition for his work that chronicled the Gay Head Light relocation last summer.

Mark Lovewell

Mark Lovewell won top recognition for his work that chronicled the Gay Head Light relocation last summer.

Mark Lovewell

The contest period ran from August 1, 2014 through July 31, 2015.

Photographer Mark Lovewell won four prizes, three of them first-place awards. Mr. Lovewell won first in the photo series category for his work last June that chronicled the relocation of the Gay Head Light. He also won first place in the pictorial category for a shot of a dinghy tied to a dock in Chilmark that judges called a “piece of photographic art.” He won two prizes in the personality category: first place for a portrait of the West Tisbury writer Nelson Bryant; and second place for a photograph of the Edgartown naturalist Gus Ben David with a young osprey.

Photographer Jeanna Shepard won first place in feature category for a picture of the iconic Menemsha fishing vessel Unicorn reflected in the water.

Photographer Timothy Johnson won a third-place award for his photograph of Brock Callen kiteboarding.

For the second consecutive year, the Gazette won the Innovator Award, a special category that recognizes innovation in the rapidly evolving world of journalism.

Iconic Unicorn's reflection won first place for feature photograph.

Jeanna Shepard

Iconic Unicorn's reflection won first place for feature photograph.

Jeanna Shepard

This year the award went to Tom Dunlop and John Wilson for their work producing the Gazette’s Historic Movies of Martha’s Vineyard  project — an effort to find, preserve and present historic film clips of the Vineyard. The restored films, which all appear on the Gazette website, have featured horse races in 1972, 1927 scenes from a Chappaquiddick bathing beach, and scenes of the Island after Hurricanes Carol and Edna.

“This hits so many high notes for the paper —a new way to help its audience connect with their own community, a great way to solidify the Gazette’s brand as the dominant news media that is part of the fabric of community, and a source of extremely high quality video content for the Gazette’s digital products,” judges said.

Last year the paper won the Innovator Award for the Vineyard Gazette Notebook, a twice-weekly digital newsletter that has a wide following.

Reporters Steve Myrick and Alex Elvin won first place in health reporting for coverage of a reported case of measles on Martha’s Vineyard which was later found not to be measles.

Portrait of Nelson Bryant won first place in personality category.

Mark Lovewell

Portrait of Nelson Bryant won first place in personality category.

Mark Lovewell

Mr. Elvin and former reporter Olivia Hull won first place in social issues reporting for a story about the Vineyard’s housing shortage.

Ms. Hull won first place in arts and entertainment reporting for her coverage of an initiative to reopen historic movie theatres on the Island.

John H. Kennedy won first place in general news for coverage of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)’s efforts to open a casino on the Island, which included breaking the news that the tribe was fast-tracking the project.

The Gazette website won first place for website design and came in third for best overall website.

A special section featuring coverage of the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival won first place, and the paper also took home first place for best editorial and commentary section.

The annual competition includes daily, weekly and alternative newspapers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. This year’s competition saw 3,100 entries.

The Martha’s Vineyard Times also won several awards in the competition this year.

More award-winning photography.