The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram was honored Tuesday by the Associated Press Media Editors in two categories for its coverage of Maine’s aging population and the move by an Icelandic shipping company to Portland.

Judges for the national contest selected “The Challenge of Our Age” – an ongoing series about growing old in Maine and the challenge faced by public and private agencies that are ill-prepared to care for the nation’s oldest population – in the digital storytelling category for newspapers with circulations between 40,000 and 149,000.

“This is a powerful interactive presentation with extensive background about a vulnerable segment of our population,” the judges wrote about the series. “The profound and extensive reporting make this worth the digital story telling award.”

Said one judge: “Terrific topic, given the aging population. The digital presentation is relevant, effective and compelling.”

In the 40,000 to 149,999 category of international perspectives, a series of stories by Tom Bell chronicling the economic impact of Icelandic shipping company Eimskip’s decision to move its North American headquarters to Portland won top honors. Bell traveled to Iceland, where he gathered interviews and shot photos and video about the development of a new international trade partner that helped to revive a historic but dormant cargo shipping service on the Portland waterfront.

APME is an association of editors and content leaders at newspapers, broadcast outlets and digital newsrooms as well as journalism educators and student leaders in the United States and Canada. APME works closely with The Associated Press to foster journalism excellence.