The Seattle Times, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore., are finalists in the Associated Press Managing Editors' annual Innovator of the Year contest.

The papers will present their innovative work at the APME conference Oct. 20-22 at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. After the presentations the audience will choose the winner.

This year the winning paper will receive $2,000 from the contest sponsors, GateHouse Media and the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri.

The Seattle Times is honored for its breaking news coverage of the deaths of four police officers and its networked journalism project; the Statesman Journal is recognized for its extensive use of social networking in all types of reporting, and the Democrat and Chronicle is honored for its Picture the Impossible alternate reality game developed in partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology.

APME is in its fourth year of hosting the Innovator of the Year award. Previous winners are the Fort Myers (Fla.) News Press, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Oklahoman of Oklahoma City.

"This is the most unique contest in journalism and these finalists are shining lights for what's going on in our newsrooms,” said Bob Heisse, APME Innovation Committee chairman and executive editor of the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa. "We thank GateHouse and the Reynolds Institute for supporting and enhancing this award."

Announcements on APME's other contests will be made soon.