10:41 AM EST on Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Projo.com, the Web site of The Providence Journal, has been awarded a coveted Digital Edge award from the Newspaper Association of America for 'Saving Block Island.'

The multimedia presentation told the story of one man's years of effort to rescue an island, described as one of the 10 last great places, from over development.

The award, for Most Innovative Multimedia Storytelling, was one of 10 categories of news and advertising excellence recognized by the newspaper industry at its annual Marketing Conference in Orlando, Fla., Sunday evening.

The seven-part series, "Saving Block Island: How Rob Lewis led the way," features multimedia narratives published on projo.com , allowing Journal environment reporter Peter B. Lord to tell an audio version of his story, accompanied by photos shot by Journal photographer John Freidah.

'Superb in all respects, 'Saving Block Island' wed excellent reportage with documentary-style storytelling features,' said the judges of the projo.com entry. 'The music, understated narration and personal stories helped elevate the entry to best-in-class status.'

Forty-two online experts, including newspaper- and broadcast-affiliated Web site directors, educators, and classified category specialists, selected the finalists for the 10 categories from 187 entries submitted by New Media Federation members.

Previously, the Block Island presentation won the Associated Press Managing Editors' Online Convergence Award and the Journalism Award from the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Projo.com was also a finalist in the Best Overall News Site category, which was won by SpokesmanReview.com, the web site of the Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review.