Journal lauded at church press awards

Anglican Journal recently won 11 awards from two press associations in North America for stories published last year.

It received five awards, including an award of excellence for best feature article in the newspaper category, at the Associated Church Press (ACP) convention held last April in Toronto. In May, it netted six awards, including one for the category of general excellence in a national newspaper, at the Canadian Church Press (CCP) convention in Toronto.

Journal contributor Will Hilliard bested 17 other ACP entries from across North America for his October 2003 feature, A Coast in crisis, Quebec crab fishers face grim future.

Saskia Rowley, Journal art director, won the ACP award of excellence in newspaper design for her two-page spread on church vestments entitled What the church is wearing (May 2003 issue). Ms. Rowley also received an award of merit in newspaper design for an entire issue (May) and an honourable mention in magazine design for the spring issue of MinistryMatters.

At the CCP awards ceremony, Ms. Rowley won first prize in newspaper feature layout and design for A Coast in Crisis. She also received honourable mentions in layout and design of a front page (May 2003), and layout and design of an entire edition (May 2003).

Archbishop Michael Peers, the former primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, won CCP’s first prize for his Anglican Journal column Grace Notes. (the column ended with the retirement of Archbishop Peers last February).

He was also given an ACP award of merit for his column, We meet God when we look up (April 2003), which spoke of the primate’s experiencing of Canterbury Cathedral in new ways.

Journal staff writer Solange De Santis and former staff writer Jane Davidson shared a CCP honourable mention for treatment of a news event for their stories on the residential schools agreement.

Anna Payne-Krzyzanowski’s illustration of Madonna and child (November) received an ACP award of merit in newspaper illustration.

Two other Canadian Anglican publications received recognition: MinistryMatters, a magazine aimed at clergy and lay ministry leaders, won three awards from ACP, and The Anglican, a newspaper published by the diocese of Toronto, won four. The Anglican also won two awards from CCP. Additionally, the national newspaper and news service for the Episcopal Church in the United States, Episcopal Life and Episcopal News Service won 18 ACP awards.

MinistryMatters won an ACP honourable mention in the best in class category for journals and Rev. Michael Thompson received an honourable mention for his MinistryMatters article entitled Why visit the house of a dangerous God?

The ACP, founded in 1916, is the oldest religious press association in North America and has about 200 member publications, Web sites, news services and individuals.