The Honolulu Advertiser won 26 awards yesterday, including 10 first-place awards, in the Hawaii Publishers Association's Pa'i Awards contest for work published in 2005. Pacific Media Publishing, an affiliated company, won three other awards, including one first-place award.

Reporter Kevin Dayton won the top investigative prize for "Sent Away: Hawai'i Prisoners on the Mainland," a three-part Advertiser series that scrutinized the state's growing practice of sending inmates to Mainland prisons and its impact on taxpayers and inmates and their families.

First place in the editorial series category went to The Advertiser staff for "Is Hawai'i ready for the Big One?" a six-part series that exposed serious gaps in Hawai'i's disaster preparedness system.

Lee Cataluna took first place in the editorial column category.

Dick Adair won first and second place in editorial cartooning.

Reporter Rick Daysog won top honors in breaking business news for his story "$100 million bid for Aloha Air."

Photographer Richard Ambo won first place in essay photography for his pictures of earthquake victims in Pakistan. Ambo and reporter William Cole embedded with forces of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) that were sent to help in that area.

Graphics editor John Valles won first place for excellence in informational graphics for "Is wave power in Hawai'i's future?" and The Advertiser staff won for special section excellence for its coverage of the West O'ahu Little League world champions.

The Advertiser's Custom Publishing Group won first-place awards for its "Bowtime" Hawai'i Warrior football program booklet and its "Honolulu Hot Spots" directory. Pacific Media Publishing's Agriculture Hawaii was named best trade magazine.

THE PA'I AWARDS: A COMPLETE LIST

Here is a complete list of winners:

Spot news reporting: 1. Maui News. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Editorial feature: 1. Hawaii Business. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Maui News.

Editorial enterprise reporting: 1. Honolulu Weekly. 2. The Advertiser. 3. The Advertiser.

Editorial series: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. Maui News.

Editorial opinion: 1. Honolulu Weekly. 2. West Hawaii Today. 3. The Advertiser.

Investigative reporting: 1. The Advertiser. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Editorial column: 1. The Advertiser. 2. West Hawaii Today. 3. Hawaii Business.

Sports reporting: 1. Maui News. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. Star-Bulletin.

Business and industry reporting: 1. Honolulu Magazine. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Building Industry.

Arts and entertainment: 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. Maui no Ka oi. 3. Hana Hou!

Breaking business news: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. Pacific Business News.

Editorial cartoon: 1. The Advertiser. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Honolulu Weekly.

Sports photography: 1. Maui News. 2. Star Bulletin. 3. West Hawaii Today.

Feature photography: 1. Hawaii Hotel Network. 2. Spirit of Aloha. 3. Hawaii Business.

Feature photography (newsprint): 1. The Garden Island. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. Maui News.

Spot news photography: 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Maui News.

Essay photography (coated stock): 1. Hawaii Hotel Network. 2. Honolulu Magazine.

Essay photography (newsprint): 1. The Advertiser. 2. Downtown Planet.

Visitor publication photography: 1. Hawaii Hotel Network. 2. Hawaii Hotel Network. 3. Hawaii Hotel Network.

Excellence in design (coated stock): 1. Hawaii Hotel Network. 2. The Advertiser's Homescape. 3. Honolulu Magazine.

Excellence in design (newsprint): 1. Star Bulletin. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Maui News.

Excellence in illustration (coated stock): 1. Island Scene Magazine. 2. Island Scene Magazine. 3. Island Scene Magazine.

Excellence in illustration (newsprint): 1. Star-Bulletin. 2. The Advertiser. 3. Oahu Island News.

Excellence in cover design: 1. Kauai Guest Informant. 2. The Advertiser's Living in Paradise. 3. Hawaii Business.

Excellence in informational graphics: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Star-Bulletin. 3. The Advertiser.

Directories: 1. The Advertiser's Honolulu Hot Spots. 2. Pacific Media Publishing's AIA Hawaii 2005-06. 3. PacificBasin Communications.

Program booklet: 1. The Advertiser's Bowtime Hawaii Warriors football. 2. Maui Wedding Planner. 3. Hawaii Pacific University.

Trade magazine: 1. Pacific Media Publishing's Agriculture Hawaii. 2. Building Industry. 3. The Advertiser's Homescape.

Special section excellence: 1. The Advertiser. 2. Spirit of Aloha. 3. The Advertiser.

Japanese-language publication excellence (over 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Aloha Street. 2. Japanese Beach Press. 3. Japanese Guide to Hawaii-Ai.

Japanese-language publication excellence (under 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Discover Big Island Travel Planner. 2. Rurubu Free. 3. Discover Oahu.

Visitor publication excellence (over 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Spirit of Aloha. 2. Hana Hou! 3. Pleasant Hawaii.

Visitor publication excellence (under 500,000 circulation per year): 1. Oahu Guest Informant. 2. Islands of Outrigger. 3. Ala Moana.

Non-daily newspaper excellence: 1. Pacific Business News. 2. Maui Weekly. 3. Pacific Media Publishing's Ka Nu Pepa.

School newspaper excellence: 1. Kalamalama (Hawaii Pacific University).