The Berkshire Eagle has been named the 2018 Newspaper of the Year for both its weekday and Sunday editions in the New England Newspaper & Press Association's New England Newspaper of the Year Competition.

The awards were announced at the New England Newspaper Awards Luncheon held Thursday at the Crowne Plaza hotel and conference center in Natick.

The Newspaper of the Year recognizes "the region's highest quality newspapers based on experts' and readers' impression of the quality of their reporting and writing, use of photos, design, and presentation, online offering, and overall utility and value."

Unlike other newspaper competitions nationally, this one is judged by a jury of newspaper readers, according to The New England Newspaper & Press Association.

The Eagle competed in the Weekday Newspapers division among other weekday papers with circulations of 14,000 to 25,000, and in the Sunday Newspapers category against newspapers with Sunday circulation of 18,000 to 30,000.

The Eagle was the only newspaper in New England this year, regardless of size, to take the top honor for its weekday and Sunday editions, according to Kevin Moran, executive editor of The Eagle.

The New England Newspaper & Press Association is the professional trade organization for newspapers in New England and represents more than 450 daily, weekly and specialty newspapers.

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