The Catholic Herald won 28 awards
this year in the Catholic Press Association’s media awards competition,
including first place in the General Excellence category for weekly diocesan
papers with a circulation of more than 25,000. The awards banquet was held June
21 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The paper has won a combined 93 awards over the past three years.
“There is strong writing throughout, especially in features,” the
judge wrote about the Catholic Herald’s
submission. “Photo packages are clean and work well to give another entry point
into events in the community, church and school life. Graphics highlight and
unite story elements to guide the reader through the paper.”
Individual recognition went to Ann M. Augherton, managing editor,
who received second place honors in the Editor of the Year category. For the
second straight year, staff writer Zoey Maraist received honorable mention in
the Writer of the Year category.
In commenting about Augherton’s work, the judge said, “The skills
and talents to achieve top status in your field are ever-changing in the world
of communications. Ann Augherton displays this from the world of podcasts to
editing and special sections. She truly tells the story of Arlington.”
Augherton also received honorable mention in the Best Photograph
category for her photo of fall foliage at Marymount University in Arlington;
and third place in the Best Blogs category.
Maraist received first place honors for Best Feature Writing for
her article “Faith from the wreckage”; second place in Best News Writing on National
or International Event for “The two Koreas”; second place in Best Reporting on
a Special Age-Group for “A growing business”; and second place in Best Headline
for “Sisters all a Twitter.”
She shared third place honors with photographer Joe Cashwell for
Best Reporting on the Celebration of a Sacrament for “Three new priests.”
The judge called Maraist’s article “Faith from the wreckage” a
moving feature that combines excellent writing with vivid details “that make
this story, and the message of hope behind it, come to life for readers.”
Maraist and Social Media Coordinator Mary Stachyra Lopez shared
second place honors in Best Coverage of Ecumenical and Interfaith Issues.
The entire staff shared a third place award in Best Reporting on
Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious Life or Diaconate for its 12-part series
on the permanent diaconate, as well as third place honors in the category Best
Coverage on the Sexual Abuse Crisis for its series on how the Diocese of
Arlington responded to the crisis.
The Catholic Herald’s website
(catholicherald.com) placed second in the category Best Website for a
Newspaper. “Beyond the excellent journalism found on the Catholic Herald site, I was impressed with several
additional sections on this site,” wrote the judge. “The podcast offerings were
impressive and the audio quality was professional. The events section was
divided between current events and senior events, which is particularly helpful
for older parishioners.”
The judge also said, “The fact that you can go online and not
only purchase photos (many were of community events with children) and also
have the option of turning those photos into keepsakes like mugs, was value
added.”
The paper also earned honorable mention for its weekly podcast.
Photographer Joe Cashwell swept the top three spots in the Best
Photo Story — Sports category. “O’Connell makes a splash” won first place;
“Panthers take down Tartans” placed second; and “Girls basketball” finished
third.
“I like the variety and approach to each image,” wrote the judge
about Cashwell’s first place entry. “The timing on the close-up of the boy
swimmer gives the viewer an insight into the effort needed to win. The
finishing image to the story of the meet was perfectly layered, including both
boys’ and girls’ celebration and their trophies.”
Graphic Artist David Garcia won first place in the Most Effective
Use of Small Space for “Stem-A-Palooza!” and Production Coordinator Stacy
Rausch won second place in the Best Use of Graphics category for “Virtus
training.”
Former Multimedia Designer Ashleigh Kassock garnered a combined
six awards for advertising design, advertising campaigns and writing.
Full list of awards
A1131A: Editor of the Year
Second place
Ann M. Augherton, managing editor
The skills and talents to achieve top status in your field are ever-changing in the world of communications. Ann M. Augherton displays this from the world of podcasts to editing and special sections. She truly tells the story of Arlington.
A117A: Writer of the Year (English)
Honorable mention
Zoey Maraist, staff writer
AW561: Best Podcast
Honorable mention
Catholic Herald podcast, staff
aw711b: Best Blog — By layperson
Third Place
“Remembering the Babe Ruth Story”; “Love the
Movies?”; and “Plugged into Podcasts,” by Ann M. Augherton, managing editor
This blog is reader-friendly,
easy to consume quickly but also packed with engaging content. Colorful quotes
and anecdotes put the reader into the scene. Prominent presence of social media
sharing tools helps spread the blog to many social spaces. Embedded audio clips
of podcasts cross-promotes the blog/organization into a new, exploding realm of
media consumption. Asking feedback from readers makes the blog a two-way street
of communication, not just one-way, as many blogs are.
GN 111E: Best Newspaper Weekly Diocesan Newspaper, Circulation 25,001 or More
First Place
Catholic
Herald staff
There is strong writing
throughout, especially in features. Photo packages are clean and work well to
give another entry point into events in the community, church and school life.
Graphics highlight and unite story elements to guide the reader through the
paper.
n365b: Best Use of Graphics
Second Place
“Virtus
Training,” by Stacy Rausch, production coordinator
Clean, colorful and easy to
understand info-graphic.
n523a: Best Coverage of Ecumenical and Interfaith
Issues — Diocesan Newspaper
Second Place
“A Deacon
Named Stephen”; “Different Feathers”; “Many faiths, One in Gratitude,” by Zoey
Maraist, staff writer; and Mary Stachyra Lopez, social media coordinator
Clear writing with details to
bring the stories to life. Well done.
n536e: Best Feature Writing — Weekly Diocesan
Newspaper, Circulation 25,000 or More
First Place
“Faith From
the Wreckage” by Zoey Maraist, staff writer
A moving feature that combines
excellent writing with vivid details that make this story, and the message of
hope behind it, come to life for readers.
n541: Best Headline
Second Place
“Sisters
All a ‘Twitter” by Zoey Maraist, staff writer
Another outstanding headline,
this one summing up the story in four words: “Sisters all a ‘Twitter,” that
conveys not only the use of Twitter accounts to tell their story, but the
excitement of expressing their age-old views through this modern social network.
A joyful headline that doesn’t just invite us to read the story, but dares us
not to read further.
n567a: Best News Writing on National or International
Event — International Event, Diocesan Newspaper
Second Place
“The Two
Koreas,” by Zoey Maraist, staff writer
Dramatic story with the needed
restraint in writing to keep the emotions in check. Photos, though small, tell
the story of the aging Koreans who can only wait and hope.
N571e: Best Personality Profile — Weekly Diocesan
Newspaper, Circulation 25,001 or More
Honorable Mention
“Native
American woman serves neighbors from Alaska to Maine,” by Ashleigh Kassock, multimedia designer
n575b: Best Reporting on a Special Age-Group — Young adults
(18-40)
Second Place
“A Growing Business,” by Zoey Maraist, staff writer
The introduction draws the reader in with a great sense
of place and the remainder of the article is interesting and informative.
n579d: Best Reporting on the Celebration of a Sacrament
— Weekly Diocesan Newspaper, Circulation 25,001 or More
Third Place
“Three New
Priests,” by Zoey Maraist, staff writer, and Joe Cashwell, photographer
Though the article is largely
the standard event reporting customary to Catholic papers, it provides
excellent details at the beginning of the article, with good attention paid to
the people who attended the ordination for meaningful reasons.
n584e:
Best Reporting on Vocations to Priesthood, Religious Life or Diaconate — Weekly
Diocesan Newspaper, Circulation 25,001 or More
Third Place
“12-Part Series on Diaconate,” by Zoey Maraist,
staff writer; Mary Stachyra Lopez, social media coordinator; Elizabeth A.
Elliott, staff writer; Ashleigh Kassock, multimedia designer; Fr. Paul
deLadurantaye; and Fr. Paul D. Scalia.
Articles capture the essence of featured deacons. Well done.
n587: Best Seasonal Issue
Second Place
“Easter
issue,” by Catholic Herald staff
Dramatic photographs with
Rembrandt-like use of lighting and contrast, straight-from-the-heart personal
testimonies, sensitivity to different cultures and solid writing make the Catholic
Herald’s Easter issue one of the best of the year.
n596c: Best Special Supplement — Regular Special
Supplement
Second Place
“Back to
School,” by Catholic Herald staff
This section takes a comprehensive
look at its schools (within 21 counties) from pre-school to college, with a
through thread on how faith is used as a pointed and powerful tool for
learning.
n711:
Hot Topic — Best coverage on the Sexual Abuse Crisis
Third Place
“Sex Abuse Crisis Response in Arlington,” by George
Goss, multimedia journalist; Zoey Maraist, staff writer; Mary Stachyra Lopez,
social media coordinator; and Billy Atwell, diocesan chief communications
officer
A good article on abuse victims who still have a balanced
view of the church makes this series stand out. The other coverage is thorough
and continues through many editions of the publication. Good writing
throughout.
n821c: Best Photo Story — Sports
First Place
.jpg "swim")
“O’Connell Makes a Splash,” by Joe Cashwell
I liked the variety and approach to each image. The
timing on the close up of the boy’s swimmer gives the viewer an insight into
the effort needed to win. The finishing image to the story of the meet was
perfectly layered including both boys’ and girls’ celebration and their
trophies.
Second Place
“Panthers take down Tartans,” by Joe Cashwell
Like the balance of both teams, fans cheering them on.
Good facial expressions captured in the girls’ huddle.
Third Place
“Girls Basketball,” by Joe Cashwell
I liked the variety of action on and off the floor that
attributes everyone’s contribution to success upsetting a top-ranked team.
n831e: Best Photograph — Scenic, Still-life or Weather
Photo
Honorable Mention
“Fall
Foliage,” by Ann M. Augherton, managing editor
