Herald Receives Seven Catholic Press Awards

Herald Staff Repoprt
(From the issue of 6/5/03)

The Arlington Catholic HERALD received seven awards during the recent Catholic Press Association Convention in Atlanta, the most awards the paper has received in one year. Staff writer and photographer Alfonso Aguilar led the way with four individual awards, including two for photography (one of the photos from Haiti is pictured at right) and two for Spanish language reporting.

The HERALD production team of Michelle Hoopes, Gretchen Cugno and Jackie DeForge received two advertising awards. The second place award for best local retail campaign was for the Custom Carpet Shops series.

"Excellent use of seasonal graphics, e.g., Christmas, Easter and copy to promote image and carpet sales for a local carpet shop business," the judges said. "The ads exhibited effective use of space and continuity of look."

The other award was an honorable mention for best black and white ad.

Columnist Elizabeth Foss won second place for her columns on the family. It was the second time that Foss has been recognized by the CPA. The judges said they liked Foss’ insights about a stay-at-home mom, "a group too often left out of the public dialogue."

It was the second straight year that Aguilar was honored. The Mexico native received two awards for photographs he took while in Haiti with a group from Nativity Church in Burke.

His photo of an outstretched hand reaching for a cross near the National Cathedral in Port au Prince, Haiti, in the Sept. 5 edition received a second place award for best feature photo. The judges said the "good, simple graphic image tells the story and illustrates the event. A strong photo without a face, it sets the mood."

Aguilar’s Sept. 12 photo of a young Haitian girl at Our Lady of Wisdom School in Port au Prince received third place in the best portrait category. "The eyes have it," said the judges. It is a "nicely composed and tightly cropped photo. The expressive eyes draw you into the photo."

Aguilar also received first place for his feature story on the permanent deaconate. "A very informative article about the history of the deaconate, with vignettes of diocesan deacons," said the judges. "The subject matter is explored in depth, including historical background and human interest stories."

His other writing award was for a report on Spanish language publications in the U.S. "Straight-forward news writing, packed with facts throughout; very creative and well organized," said the judges.

"Alfonso and the entire staff deserve this professional recognition," said HERALD Editor Michael F. Flach. "We have many talented people working together to produce a high-quality Catholic publication. It’s terrific for them to receive these honors."

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