The Advertiser won 19 awards, including nine first-place awards, in the Hawaii Publishers Association's Pa'i Awards contest for work published in 2006.

Advertiser reporter Rob Perez won the top investigative prize for "Special Report: Tripler Army Medical Center," a three-day series that disclosed that the federal government spent tens of millions of dollars over the past two decades to resolve about 170 cases in which patients or their relatives accused Tripler of shoddy care.

Perez also teamed up with reporter Will Hoover for first place in the editorial series category for "Homeless on the Wai'anae Coast," a five-part report on the harmful effects of homelessness on children and families living on beaches and encampments along the Leeward Coast.

Advertiser photographer Jeff Widener also won first place in newsprint category for essay photography for his photos for this series.

Said one of the contest judges of the homeless series:

"Easily the standout in a strong field, this series contains a depth and breadth that reflect the time and effort the writers and photographer put into learning about, and becoming familiar with, the homeless population on the Wai'anae Coast."

"The result breaks down stereotypes, tells the stories of those who live on the beach, examines possible solutions, and, in the end, certainly greatly adds to readers' understanding of this difficult-to-solve human dilemma," the judge said.

Advertiser business writers Greg Wiles, Andrew Gomes and Lynda Arakawa won first place in breaking business news for their coverage of the closing of the Del Monte Fresh Produce's century-old pineapple operations in Hawai'i.

Dick Adair won first and third place for editorial cartooning, and Michael Tsai took top honors in the editorial column category.

Bev Creamer's two-part series "Ninth Grade — A Time of Pitfalls" won first place for editorial enterprise reporting. One of the contest judges said of Creamer's work:

"This winning entry has the most compelling interest of several high-quality submissions, and set itself further apart from the field through thoroughness of work and proactive components of 'alternative education paths,' 'warning signs' and 'what parents can do' information nuggets."

"The story is told through the eyes of young dropouts who are struggling and/or coping by remaining in 'the black hole' or, in some cases, returning to school or alternative or non-traditional options," the judge said.

The Advertiser also won first place for special section excellence for its "150 years of Hawai'i's History," and won top honors in the program booklet category for Bowtime — Women's Volleyball.

THE PA'I AWARDS: A COMPLETE LIST

Spot news reporting: 1. Maui News. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Editorial feature: 1. Maui News. 2. Hana Hou!. 3. Honolulu Magazine.

Editorial enterprise reporting: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Honolulu Weekly. 3. Maui News.

Editorial series: 1. The Advertiser. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

Editorial opinion: 1. Honolulu Magazine. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Investigative reporting: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Maui News. 3. The Advertiser.

Editorial column: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Pacific Business News. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Sports reporting: 1. Hana Hou!. 2. Hana Hou!. 3. Hana Hou!

Business and industry reporting: 1. Spirit of Aloha. 2. Hawaii Business. 3. Hawaii Business.

Arts and entertainment: 1. Hawaii Business. 2. Spirit of Aloha. 3. Hana Hou!

Breaking business news: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Editorial cartoon: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Honolulu Weekly. 3. The Advertiser.

Sports photography: 1. Hana Hou!. 2. Hana Hou!. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Feature photography (coated stock): 1. Hawaii Hotel Network. 2. Honolulu Magazine. 3. Hana Hou!

Feature photography (newsprint): 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. West Hawaii Today.

Spot news photography: 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Essay photography (coated stock): 1. The Kahala. 2. Hawaii Hotel Network. 3. Spirit of Aloha.

Essay photography (newsprint): 1. The Advertiser. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Visitor publication photography: 1. Hawaii Hotel Network. 2. Hawaii Hotel Network. 3. Ala Moana Magazine.

Excellence in design (coated stock): 1. Hawaii Hotel Network. 2. Hana Hou! 3. Spirit of Aloha.

Excellence in design (newsprint): 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. The Advertiser.

Excellence in illustration (coated stock): Island Scene Magazine. 2. A Dance of Spring. 3. Hawaii Hotel Network.

Excellence in illustration (newsprint): 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. Honolulu Weekly. 3. The Advertiser.

Excellence in cover design: 1. Honolulu Magazine. 2. The Kahala. 3. Spirit of Aloha.

Excellence in informational graphics: 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. Spirit of Aloha. 3. The Advertiser.

Directories: 1. Honolulu Magazine Restaurant Guide. 2. Maui Wedding Planner. 3. Best of Oahu.

Program booklet: 1. The Advertiser. 2. The Advertiser. 3. The Advertiser.

Trade magazine: 1. Hawaii Hospitality. 2. Hawaii Hospitality. 3. Building Industry.

Special section excellence: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Hawaii Tribune-Herald. 3. Spirit of Aloha.

Japanese language publication excellence (over 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Aloha Street. 2. Japanese Guide to Hawaii-Ai. 3. None.

Japanese language publication excellence (under 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Discover Oahu Travel Planner 2006. 2. Lea Lea. 3. Rurubu Free Honolulu.

Visitor publication excellence (over 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Spirit of Aloha. 2. Ala Moana. 3. Best of Oahu.

Visitor publication excellence (under 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Maui Guest Informant. 2. Islands of Outrigger. 3. The Kahala.

Non-daily newspaper excellence: 1. Pacific Business News. 2. MidWeek. 3. Lahaina News.

School newspaper excellence: 1. Kalamalama, Hawai'i Pacific University.