Last month, the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA) presented its annual journalism awards.
I am pleased to say the Beacon once again won top honors for papers in the 100,000-plus circulation category. And the Baltimore Beacon, produced by our same staff, fared similarly for publications in the 50,000-99,999 circulation category.
Both publications took first place for General Excellence in their categories, as well as Best of Show, which is based on the number and level of awards won.
Turning to the individual categories, it will surprise no one to learn that Bob Levey, our most well-known, nationallyrecognized columnist, took first place in the Personal Essay category.
The award judges, from the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism, found his columns "personal, engaging, and written with a real style and a sense of humor." Yours truly settled for the second-place award in that category.
Our theatre critic Michael Toscano took the first-place Column Review award. The judges commented that, "These theatre reviews are well written and reveal deep knowledge not only of the current production but also the background of the works under review."
Our lead travel writer, Victor Block, was honored for his work with a first-place Travel Writing award. "Lively, fun and entertaining sum up the voice in these columns," the judges said.
Our "Savvy Saver" financial columnist, Steven Goldberg, won second place for his "very nicely written columns that give readers an inside look on stocks and investing without all the jargon."
Two freelancers also won prizes for their Beacon stories. Gregory Alexander’s cover story on the battle over slot machines in Maryland won first place in the Topical Issue category, and Laura Jeffrey’s feature on grandparents raising their grandchildren won the first place Community Service award.
Our former staff writer Emma Zayer (who, we are sad to say, left the Beacon recently to pursue a career outside of journalism) won several awards. She took first place in the Profile category for our May cover story about Julius Fleischman, an 87-year-old skydiver, and other adventure sports lovers. "Captivates the reader," the judges said.
She also won two second place awards, in both the Topical Issue and Community Service categories. The judges praised her "great service journalism."
We are especially proud of our Managing Editor Barbara Ruben, who not only won several awards for her writing, but who deserves kudos for finding and editing our many freelancers and columnists.
Barbara won first place in the Feature category for her April cover story about local volunteers, "Everyday heroes to the rescue." The judges paid it the ultimate compliment: "Enough to make one get off the couch and join up."
She also took second place in the Profile category for her "moving and educational" profile of Abigail Trafford, "Redefining love and work after 50," on last January’s cover.
My story about traveling to the Big Apple with my teenage children won first place in the How-To category. "This quick guide is better than some full-length books," the judges said.
And finally, our Housing Options Magazine, which we insert into the Beacon each spring, won first place in the Special Section category.
I want to express my thanks and admiration to all our staff, columnists and freelancers for their excellent work and their many contributions to the Beacon. Congratulations to you all!
As I always say, whatever awards we do or do not win, what matters the most to us is what our readers think of us. Please continue to share your comments and suggestions, whether via mail, e-mail, phone or fax. We love to hear from you.
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