AASFE is pleased to announce the winners of its first annual Best Feature Section Contest. Five winners were selected in each of four circulation divisions. These 20 finalists, chosen from more than 90 entries, will be sent to the Media Management Center at Northwestern University, which will select the Top 10 feature sections. The Top 10 will be announced at AASFE's national convention in Denver on Friday, Sept. 30. A panel discussion, including the Poynter Institute's Chip Scanlan and Kelly McBride, will follow the announcement.

Which means: Plan your trip to Denver! For more information on the convention, visit http://www.aasfe.org/. The registration deadline is fast approaching: Friday, Aug. 12.

Thanks to all who entered and made the contest's first year a great success. The winners are listed here in alphabetical order, by division.

   Circulation Division 1 (up to 75,000)
   The Herald News (Paterson, NJ)
   The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA)
   The Post-Crescent (Appleton, WI)
   Star-News (Wilmington, NC)
   Statesman Journal (Salem, OR)

   Circulation Division 2 (75,001 to 175,000)
   The Edmonton Journal (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
   The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
   Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine)
   The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.)
   The State (Columbia, S.C.)

   Circulation Division 3 (175,001 to 300,000)
   Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
   Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)
   The Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, IN)
   St. Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN)
   The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)

   Circulation Division 4 (more than 300,000)
   Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, GA)
   The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX)
   Houston Chronicle (Houston, TX)
   The Oregonian (Portland, OR)
   The Washington Post (Washington, DC)

  Heartfelt thanks to the judges whose time and care made this all happen:

Gretchen Day Bryant, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Section Contest co-chair Katharine Fong, San Jose Mercury News, Section Contest co-chair Janet Grimley, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Section Contest co-chair Dennis Joyce, Arizona Daily Star Susan Kille, New York Times Regional Newspaper Group Stacy Lynch, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Kelly McBride, Poynter Institute Bobbie Roessner, Hartford Courant Michele Salcedo, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Chip Scanlan, Poynter Institute Jill Jorden Spitz, Arizona Daily Star

SOURCE: American Association of Sunday and Features Editors