The Georgia Straight picked up three Western Magazine Awards at a July 7 dinner at the Marriott Pinnacle Hotel. Mark “Atomos” Pilon won in the “best illustration or illustration feature” category for his October 6-13, 2005, cover of a woman filling her gas tank. [» see illustration] The story focused on the possibility that global oil production will soon peak and that some oil-producing countries have exaggerated their reported proven oil reserves.

Straight editor Charlie Smith won in “business” for “Convention Centre II: Boon or Boondoggle?”, a March 3-10, 2005, cover story about the decline of the North American convention industry and the expansion of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. Regular contributor Terry Glavin won in the “public issues” category for “This Haunted Place”, an August 25– September 1, 2005, feature article about the history of aboriginal people living on Kuper Island.