One of the annual newspaper industry conclaves is going on in Las Vegas this week. At the NEwspaper Association of America’s marketing conference, Connections, they hand out NAA’s Digital Edge Awards each year.

Morris and Morris DigitalWorks usually fare pretty well. (Heck, I even accepted an award in 2001). This year is no different, though maybe more special.

First, our buddy Steve Yelvington — who sits 10 feet to my left every day he’s in the office — won the Online Innovator award for his long commitment to positive change in the newspaper industry. Lots of folks know Steve, but quite a few don’t know what he actually does. Basically, he’s looking towards the future, tracking trends, devouring research and translating the information into specific actions.

For example, BlufftonToday.com came from Steve’s commitment to the local market as the future and a strong desire to change the way that a newspaper staff interacts with the audience.

This year, the big challenge around here was applying the lessons of Bluffton to a larger market. SavannahNOW was the result. Led by Darryl Kotz and his team, SavannahNOW won the Edgie for Most Innovative Visitor Participation in the small newspaper category.

That’s pretty cool.