NZ publications among winners at Catholic media awards
Four of New Zealand’s Catholic publications received awards at the recent Catholic Australasian Press Association (ACPA) conference held in Adelaide from 7-9 September.
The Best Editorial category was won by John Kleinsman, Director of the National Catholic Bioethics Centre, for his editorial “Assisted suicide- right to die or duty to die?” featured in Issue 31 of The Nathaniel Report.
A Marist Messenger article called “The Christchurch Stations of the Cross,” by Liz Pearce won the award for Best Devotional Article Applying Faith to Life. The article applied the Stations to those affected by the Christchurch earthquake.
Also focusing on the Christchurch earthquake was the NZ Catholic 13-26 March issue, which was the winner of the Best Front Cover (Newspaper) category. It featured photographs of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament before and after the earthquake, and had as its headline “Broken lives, broken hearts, broken buildings”.
In the Best Front Cover (Magazine) category, Tui Motu InterIslands received a Highly Commended award for its November 2010 issue.
In the Australasian Religious Press Association conference that followed, two awards went to New Zealand publications. The Best News Item Gold Award was won by NZ Catholic, for the story “Quake-hit parishes rally” in its 12-25 September issue. The Marist Messenger also received a Gold Award in the Best Story on Social Justice category, for “With Joy-Filled Hearts” in the June 2010 issue.
The ACPA conference attracted 56 delegates, who enjoyed the opportunity to meet up with Catholic colleagues from around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to discuss issues that are of common interest.
Guest speakers throughout the three-day Conference included Andrew Killey (kwp! Advertising); Chris Rann (Rann Communications); Matt Deighton (Messenger Newspapers); Paul Hamra (Solstice Media); Jenny Brinkworth (The Southern Cross); and Michael Mullins (Eureka Street).
The awards dinner was held at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide and had General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC, CNZM, Chancellor Australian Catholic University as its Guest Speaker.