Break out the champagne and peanut butter cups! Las Vegas Weekly has taken a slew of awards in the Nevada Press Association’s 2011 Better Newspaper Contest, which honors the best in Nevada journalism in areas as diverse as photography, advertising, critical writing and blogging.

The Weekly took 12 first place awards including Best Website, Best Feature Story for April Corbin’s “Citizen of Nowhere” about an undocumented student struggling to pay for her education, Best Blog for The Kats Report by John Katsilometes, Best Page Design for Ryan Olbrysh and Best Multiple Photo Essay for Beverly Poppe’s “Body of Work.” The NPA also honored the Weekly with a number of second and third place finishes.

While we’re patting ourselves on the back (and working on this week’s issue), take a look back at the Weekly work that impressed the judges.

First place:

• Best website

• Best multimedia story, “Body of Work” by Beverly Poppe, Trent Ogle, Natasha Chamberlin, Sarah Feldberg.

• Best blog, John Katsilometes’ The Kats Report.

• Best feature story, “Citizen of Nowhere” by April Corbin, on the roadblocks facing an immigrant student.

• Best nonstaff story, “To Catch a Relative,” by Steve Friess.

• Best local nonstaff column, “The Strip Sense,” by Steve Friess.

• Best Critical Writing, Danielle Kelly.

• Best page designer, Ryan Olbrysh.

• Best illustration, James Shepherd.

• Best multiple-photo essay, “Body of Work” Beverly Poppe

• Best multicolor ad, Sean Rademacher

• Ad of the year, Sean Rademacher

Second place

• Best entertainment writing, Kristen Peterson

• Best Page One design, Ryan Olbrysh

• Best illustrated photo, Leila Navidi

• Best multicolor ad, Sean Rademacher

Third place

• Best nonstaff story, “Driven to cheat” by E.C. Gladstone