Anglican Journal captures eight awards at Associated Church Press convention

Indianapolis, Ill.
The Anglican Journal captured eight awards at the Associated Church Press (ACP) conference on May 7.
Two of the award of merits (second place) were for design, recognizing art director Saskia Rowley, and one was given for Marites N. Sison’s coverage of the Lambeth Conference in the summer of 2008.
The newspaper received four honourable mentions (3rd place) and four awards of merit (second place).
Former Journal editor Leanne Larmondin received an award of merit for the Journal’s Letters to the Editor in March. Ms. Larmondin also won an honourable mention for her in-depth coverage of her trip to the Sudan, Growing and Coping in Sudan, published in the April and May issues of the Journal.
A feature article by Journal contributor, Julia Armstrong, Word Lady Dissects the Crazy English Language, published in September, won an award of merit as did a photograph by Art Babych to accompany a story on Ottawa artist portrays those who serve.
The design awards acknowledged Ms. Rowley in the Newspaper Front Page category as well as the Newspaper Design, Entire Issue category, covering the June, 2008 and September, 2008 issues, the later including coverage of the Lambeth Conference.
Ms. Sison received an award of merit for her Lambeth Conference published in the September issue. The judge said, "For all that’s good in this entry, the manner in which the Anglican Journal handles the church’s struggle with homosexuality provides some of the best journalism of all the entries in the convention categories (and the convention categories also cover magazines, news service, newsletter and website coverage).”
Interim editor Keith Knight, who represented the Journal at the conference, said the awards “are a visual testament to the highly qualified staff at the Journal and also to the readers and contributors who make the Journal what it is today. When our letters page receives an award, it is an acknowledgment that Canadian Anglicans truly care about the church and they are both willing and eager to speak their mind.”
Among the Canadian publications, The United Church Observer received nine awards and the Presbyterian Record received six, both in the magazine division.  The Journal competed in the newspaper category. There were also categories covering magazines as well as one for websites, news services and newsletters.
The ACP is a North American association of religious publications – denominational and non-denominational – which gathers annually to offer workshops and to host an awards ceremony. The conference was held jointly with the Evangelical Press Association. A wide range of workshops were available to both groups and some dinners with featured speakers were also held together. This was the first time in 21 years that the two groups met together. Awards celebrations and annual meetings were held separately.