Two special sections in The Times — one commemorating Nathan Deal’s election as governor, the other highlighting Smithgall Woodland Garden — were among eight first-place award winners at a recent Georgia Press Association advertising conference.Ads created for two of the newspaper’s largest local business partners, Milton Martin Honda and The Norton Agency, also won first-place awards in their categories.In all, The Times advertising department won 14 awards.“We’re really proud of the fact that in competition in two of the most competitive categories, real estate and automotive, our ads for Milton Martin Honda and The Norton Agency were considered the best in the state. We’re proud of the work we do for them,” said Dennis Stockton, publisher of The Times.“It’s an honor to be recognized by Georgia Press for our advertising efforts, but the real recognition comes from the advertisers who tell us that our efforts work for them.”In the GPA competition, The Times competes against newspapers with a paid circulation between 15,000 and 39,999.Papers in the category include those in Athens, Brunswick and Marietta.All entries in the GPA contest were published during the 2011 calendar year.The ads must have been conceived, written, designed and sold by newspaper staff members. Ads created by advertising agencies were not permitted.“Our advertisers are the lifeblood of our newspaper and website, and we are very proud of the efforts made by our staff in producing quality ads, special sections and modern online presentations for our advertising business partners,” said Sherrie Jones, advertising director for The Times.