The Anglican Journal won first place for its in–depth coverage of the marriage canon motion at General Synod 2016 (right) and for the design of an entire issue (left). Image: Saskia Rowley
The Anglican Journal won 12 awards, including four awards of excellence (first place) at the Best of the Christian Press Awards held April 28 in Chicago.
The awards, presented annually by the Associated Church Press (ACP), North America’s oldestinterdenominational religious press association, recognize the best work in Canadian and Americanchurch publications.
The Journal’s coverage of the same-sex marriage resolution at General Synod 2016 garnered an award of excellence in the category of reporting and writing: in depth/newspaper for editor Marites Sison, assistant to the editor Janet Thomas and staff writers Tali Folkins and André Forget.
“There was no bigger story for the Anglican Church of Canada than the same-sex marriage vote, and the Journal nailed its coverage,” said the judge’s comment. “Across the series, the writing and reporting were consistently topnotch, always easy to follow and understand.”
For the second year in a row, the editor and staff of the Journal were also recognized with an award of merit (second place) for Best in Class in the category of national or international print newspaper.
Journal contributor Art Babych received an award of excellence for his photograph taken after the motion to allow same-sex marriage was initially announced to have failed, only to be reversed following discovery of a voting error. The citation noted that in Babych’s photo “genuine sadness is captured…at the moment it’s happening.”
Journal art director Saskia Rowley won a total of four awards, including two awards of excellence for her design of the September 2016 newspaper spread on church and social enterprise and for the March 2016 issue, and two honourable mentions, for September’s General Synod spread and for front page design.
Judges praised Rowley’s “great use of art and graphics” and her “terrific use of white space,” noting that her work is “a great example of how design makes a story better.”
Journal columnists were recognized for their contributions as well, with awards of merit going to Rhonda Waters for her Porous Church column and Michelle Hauser for her personal essay, “The War of the Begonias.”
Alida Massari’s front page illustration “Rejoice,” from the December 2016 issue, also garnered an award of merit.
Further honourable mentions went to the Journal’s letters to the editor, edited and curated by Sison and Thomas, and to Forget for his news story about Archbishop Fred Hiltz’ meeting with LGBTQ Anglicans in the April 2016 issue.