CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (March 2011) – AlbemarleFamily magazine won six awards over the weekend at the annual Parenting Publications of America Awards convention held in Arlington, VA. The competition recognizes excellence in journalism, photography and design achieved by publishers, editors, writers and designers at member publications. AlbemarleFamily competed against 72 other parenting magazines and newspapers.
AlbemarleFamily brought home:
- Gold: Special Section, Design
- Gold: Personal Essay, Editorial
- Silver: Briefs/Short Stuff, Design
- Silver: Briefs/Short Stuff, Editorial
- Bronze: Web Site, General Excellence
- Bronze: General Excellence
The Special Section gold was awarded for the “Back-To-School” section in the August 2010 issue. (Robin Johnson Bethke, creative director; Kathleen Capshaw and Jennifer Jones, graphic designers) The judges said, “Vibrant colors and playful imagery gives this back-to-school section a feeling of fun and excitement and helps give the section its own identity within the magazine.” Writer Cheairs Frank Graves won a gold for her Personal Essay, “A Day With Dawson,” for which the PPA noted as, “… a sensitive and poignant story about a son with autism. Her writing is filled with detailed anecdotes that give insights into the trying and rewarding times of having such a child in the family. Her storytelling provides understanding for all parents and much hope for anyone who has had a child diagnosed with autism.”
AlbemarleFamily also won two silver awards in design and editorial for the Briefs/Short Stuff section (Robin Johnson Bethke, creative director; Kathleen Capshaw, graphic design; Jennifer Bryerton, editor-in-chief; Betsy Hamilton, editor) The judges said, “This briefs section makes good use of color to help convey the tone of its content. … this section is varied, written in an engaging tone and clear.”
“AlbemarleFamily.com provides necessary and valuable information about local resources for its community. The scrolling navigation on the homepage shows a fearless approach to innovation and experimentation,” said the judges. A bronze award was received forAlbemarleFamily.com in the category of Web Site General Excellence. (Robin Bethke, Kathleen Capshaw and Jennifer Jones, design; Jennifer Bryerton, Brian Murphy and Lauren Isaacs, editorial team)
AlbemarleFamily also received a bronze award for General Excellence. (Robin Bethke, creative director; Jennifer Bryerton, editor-in-chief; Kathleen Capshaw and Jennifer Jones, design; Betsy Hamilton and Lauren Isaacs, editorial) The judges agreed that “AlbemarleFamily is bright, cheery and bursting with color, which is certain to entice readers into picking up this free publication. The feature “Father’s Day in the Garden” is a great example of a hyperlocal piece of journalism that will engage the community. The entire package is so well done – the writing is witty and lively; the photography is colorful and informative without being repetitive, and the design offers lots of entry points and is very easy to follow.”
Professor Daryl Moen of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism coordinated the annual contest. A panel of 25 judges reviewed 915 entries from 75 publications to choose the winners in each category. Prof. Moen said, “The General Excellence category, which some consider the top award, is both competitive and features excellent entries. Judges of the relatively new Online/Web categories also noticed an increase in quality and sophistication.” Open to all member publications, the competition was broken into circulation divisions: 30,000 or fewer, 30,001 to 54,999, and 55,000 and more. Members competed for gold, silver and bronze in 21 Editorial categories, 17 Design categories, five Ancillary Publications categories, two Web Site categories and five General Excellence categories (Rookie of the Year, Most Improved, Ancillary General Excellence, Web Site General Excellence and General Excellence), reflecting editorial and design.
About us… Ivy Publications is the parent company of AlbemarleFamily Living, a monthly publication dedicated to serving families in Charlottesville-Albemarle with useful comprehensive community resources designed to help “Make Parenting Easier & Growing Up Fun.” Each month, over 40,000 visitors make use of their extensive web site and its companion print publications: 12 monthly issues, weekly e-newsletters, the Let’s Go! Guide to Charlottesville and More daytrip book and an annual Directory of Family Services complete the product line. Ivy Publications also publishes quarterly The Charlottesville Welcome Book to reach out to the thousands of newcomers and tourists visiting the Charlottesville-Albemarle region. IvyPublications.com