Anglican Journal wins 16 awards

Winnipeg The Anglican Journal won a total of 16 awards, including four first place awards at the annual Canadian Church Press convention and awards dinner, held here, May 4 to 6. Primates call for breathing space, a story about the Anglican Communion’s primates asking the Canadian and United States churches not to send their representatives to the June meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, won first place for best news story. The story, published in April 2005, was written by staff writer Marites Sison, with files from fellow staff writer Solange De Santis. Ms. Sison also received first place for service journalism, an open category for newspapers and magazines, for her December feature, Dreaming of a simple Christmas. Art director Saskia Rowley won two first place awards: the first, for newspaper feature layout and design (Remembrance Day, November 2005) and another for best layout and design of a newspaper edition (June 2005). “In all, quite a sophisticated looking paper,” commented the judge of the latter category. Contributor Michael Hudson’s photograph of an East Indian dancer at a celebration of arts and spirituality at Toronto’s Church of the Redeemer won first place for newspaper colour photo. “A very tender moment captured,” wrote the judge. The Journal also received seven second place awards, which included the categories Letters to the editor and media review. Other second place winners were: Bishop William Hockin for his opinion piece entitled Leaders must challenge disconnect between life and liturgy; Laura Smith for original artwork for her painting of a homeless man entitled “…and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes;” Ms. Sison for biographical profile for her May look back at Archdeacon Jim Boyles’ career (Church’s problem solver set to retire); and Ms. Sison and Ms. Rowley for colour photo spread (China) and black and white photo spread (China.). “Nice balance between news analysis and feature presentations. The centre spreads particularly add a sense of depth to the publication,” said the judge of the Journal‘s entry in the general excellence category. “The spread of news stories throughout fit well with a role of ‘newspaper of record’ for Canadian Anglicanism.” The CCP also gave the Journal four third place awards for: general excellence for a national newspaper; in depth treatment of a news event (for a series of articles on the Anglican Consultative Council by Ms. De Santis and Ms. Sison); features (for a series on churches in China, Ms. Sison); and interview, for Ms. Sison’s December article about retired governor general Adrienne Clarkson (Ex-vice regal at home in the communion). “Good coverage of a key event in the history of the Anglican church,” said the judge about the series on the Council. The articles about the churches in China “gave very fine coverage to a part of the world that is becoming more and more important to us. They provide some indication of just how fascinating and complex China remains and how vibrant the church there has become,” noted the judge. “Text and photos worked together very well. This was very good work all around.” Among other significant awards, The Catholic Register took home the A.C. Forrest Memorial Award for Clergy Sex Abuse: The path to redemption, by Sabitri Ghosh. The award is presented in honour of A.C. Forrest, who edited the United Church Observer for 23 years and is presented “for excellence in socially conscious religious journalism.” The Canadian Church Press is an organization of Christian publications founded in 1957. The Journal also won six international awards at the recent convention of the Associated Church Press, the oldest religious press association in North America with about 200 member publications.Links:

• Journal wins six international awards – April 26, 2006 anglicanjournal.com news story
• Primates call for breathing space – April 2005 news story
• Dreaming of a simple Christmas – December 2005 feature
• ‘It is out of love for these people that we watch with them’ – November 2005 Remembrance Day feature
• Sacred Arts photo – June 2005
• Leaders must challenge disconnect between life and liturgy – March 2005 opinion
• “…and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes” – December painting
• Church’s problem solver set to retire – May 2005 profile
• China coverage and photos: June, September and October issues
• Ex-vice regal at home in the communion – December 2005