Seven Days (newspaper)
# Seven Days (newspaper)

Seven Days is an alternative weekly newspaper that is distributed every Wednesday in Vermont. The American Newspapers Representatives estimate Seven Days' circulation to be 35,000 papers. It is distributed free of charge throughout Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, Stowe, the Mad River Valley, Rutland, St. Albans, and Plattsburgh, New York.

Seven Days is published by Da Capo Publishing, Inc., and is owned by Paula Routly and a group of longtime employees.

Seven Days covers many aspects of life in Vermont. Columns and stories in the newspaper often concern such topics as state and local politics, Vermont organizations and charities, and general human interest stories. It also features local music listings, an alternative comics section, art, movie, and theater reviews, event listings, local dining, classified advertisements, and personals. Each year, Seven Days asks its readers to place votes for the "Seven Daysies," which is a compilation of favorite people and places to visit throughout the state.

In addition to publishing Seven Days, Da Capo hosts two annual events in Vermont: Vermont Restaurant Week and the Vermont Tech Jam.

## History

Seven Days was founded in 1995 by reporters Pamela Polston and Paula Routly. The original capital investment of $68,000 by angel investors was repaid within three years. Originally, the paper's title was going to be the Vermont Voice, however a dispute over the name caused them to settle on Seven Days instead. Circulation of the newspaper in 1995 was around 12,000.

Angelo Lynn, owner and publisher of the Addison County Independent (a local newspaper based in Middlebury, VT) was a valued mentor to the pair of owners as they got their start.

From 1995 - 2002 Seven Days saw a 20% increase in revenue each year.

In 2013 Seven Days expanded its weekly circulation to 36,000 by including the Northeast Kingdom in its distribution radius.

Pamela Polston and Paula Routly, who co-founded the paper, were inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2015. Consulting editor Candace Page was inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2017.

In 2019, Seven Days hired reporter Kate O'Neill to launch a year-long project reporting on the opioid epidemic in Vermont.

In March 2020, with a decline in advertising revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, Seven Days temporarily laid off seven employees.

## Awards

### Vermont Press Association

| Year | Award | Place | Individual (if applicable) |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2015-2016 | Best of Vermont, General Excellence (non-daily) | 2nd | |
| 2016-2017 | Best of Vermont, General Excellence (non-daily) | 1st | |
| 2016-2017 | Outstanding Website (non-daily) | 1st | |
| 2015-2016 | Mavis Doyle Award | Honorable Mention | Mark Davis |
| 2016-2017 | Mavis Doyle Award | 1st | Alicia Freese |
| 2015-2016 | Rookie of the Year (all newspapers) | 2nd | Kymelya Sari |
| 2016-2017 | Rookie of the Year (all newspapers) | 1st | Jordan Adams |
| 2015-2016 | Best State Story (non-daily) | 1st 3rd | Paul Heintz Mark Davis |
| 2016-2017 | Best State Story (non-daily) | 2nd Honorable Mention | Mark Davis Paul Heintz |
| 2015-2016 | Best Local Story (non-daily) | 2nd Honorable Mention | Mark Davis Alicia Freese |
| 2016-2017 | Best Local Story (non-daily) | 1st | Molly Walsh |
| 2015-2016 | John Donoghue Award for Arts Criticism (all) | 1st 2nd 3rd | Dan Bolles Alex Brown Rachel Elizabeth Jones |
| 2016-2017 | John Donoghue Award for Arts Criticism (all) | 1st 2nd 3rd | Rachel Elizabeth Jones Jordan Adams Dan Bolles |
| 2015-2016 | Column Writing - Features/Lifestyle/Humor (non-daily) | 1st | Dan Bolles |
| 2016-2017 | Column Writing - Features/Lifestyle/Humor (non-daily) | 1st 3rd | Ken Picard Dan Bolles |
| 2016-2017 | Column Writing - Political/Hard News (non-daily) | 1st 2nd 3rd | Paul Heintz John Walters Paul Heintz |
| 2015-2016 | General News Photo (non-daily) | 1st 3rd | Matthew Thorsen Matthew Thorsen |
| 2015-2016 | Feature Photo (non-daily) | 2nd | Matthew Thorsen |
| 2015-2016 | Sports Photo (non-daily) | 1st | James Buck |

### Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce

2000 - Business of the Year

### Burlington Business Association

2008 - Business of the Year

## Recognition

2013 - Editor & Publisher - "10 Newspapers that Do It Right"

2013 - The Atlantic article "Strange Tales from the North Country: A Profitable (Print) Newspaper"

