The Daily Memphian has won two first-place honors for Best Local Website and Best Consumer Revenue Initiative in the Local Media Association’s “Local Media Digital Innovation Award” contest.

Powered by Second Street, the competitive contest recognizes the best in local digital media in 11 categories. It is designed to recognize both large and small media companies for outstanding and innovative work.

Digital innovation graduate students at Northwestern University judged the entries.

The Daily Memphian won first place for Best Local Website among entries with 250,000+ unique visitors. SooToday in Ontario, Canada, finished second and My Record Journal of Meriden, Connecticut, placed third.

In choosing The Daily Memphian, the judges noted: “This site had the best user interface in the category and the most balanced design with graphics and text. Strong mix of regional and neighborhood/suburbs news. The site has an ad-light experience and emphasis on digital subscriptions, a tactic that seems to be working.”

The Daily Memphian also placed first for Best Consumer Revenue Initiative in the small company category.

The judges noted: “From launch to ~12,000 paid digital subscribers in 18 months. The Memphian has achieved great traction with its subscription business and built tremendous brand equity with its readers in a short period of time. Iterative testing of pricing, paywall and messaging strategies drive growth, and an intent focus on a user and content experience worth paying for, all resonate with an audience that pays and stays (strong retention, particularly for a premium subscription price that is rarely discounted).”

The Seattle Times in Seattle, Washington, placed first in the large company category for Best Consumer Revenue Initiative.

NBC New York took first place in the Best Social Media Strategy.

For a full list of winners, click here.