NORTHAMPTON — Daily Hampshire Gazette photographer Dan Little was recognized with two awards by the New England Newspaper & Press Association in its 2023 New England Better Newspaper Competition this past weekend, including a first place honor for feature photography.

The staff of the Gazette, under an award received by the Greenfield Recorder, also were recognized for the newspapers’ collaborative Climate Change at Home reporting project as well as for its coverage of the devastating flooding in the Connecticut River Valley this past summer. The newspapers took second and third place honors in the category of climate change and weather reporting for the two series.

In addition, Gazette sports columnist Jim Johnson took a second place honor for his monthly column Fit to Play.

“I am pleased that the quality work produced by the Gazette newsroom was recognized by our peers and judged worthy of honor across New England,” Gazette Publisher Shawn Palmer said. “I’m very happy for our entire staff and thrilled for Dan to receive two awards, including the top award for feature photography.”

Little received the top honor for his photo of a fly fisherman and trout, a shot taken with an underwater camera on the Swift River in Belchertown in August 2022.

Little also received a third-place award in the category of sports feature photo for capturing two South Hadley high school soccer players making snow angels on the ground in celebration after defeating Frontier in overtime to win a state semifinal game in November 2022.

“Dan is a very talented photographer who is always pushing the boundaries visually,” Executive Editor Dan Crowley said. “His creativity and eye for detail are huge assets to our newsgathering and we’re very pleased to see him recognized for his work.”

The Climate Change at Home reporting project, which ran for more than a year, began in the fall of 2022 and chronicled the important work being done at the local level in the fight against climate change and how our changing environment is impacting the Connecticut River Valley. The series was a collaboration with the Greenfield Recorder and Athol Daily News.

The Gazette’s coverage of the flooding began in July 2023 and continued through the year as area residents, and local and state officials rallied to the aid of valley farmers who endured some of the worst flooding the region has seen in recent memory.

“The recognition is nice, but each day we are driven not by awards, but to tell the stories of Hampshire County,” Palmer said.