Covenant News - Companion Honored for Editorial, Design Excellence

Covenant News

Companion Honored for Editorial, Design Excellence

TORONTO, CANADA (May 3, 2004) - The Covenant Companion was honored last Wednesday evening for editorial and design excellence during an annual meeting of Christian journalists representing more than 200 publications.

The Associated Church Press honored the Companion with two awards of excellence (first place), two awards of merit (second place) and two honorable mentions (third place). Over the past five years, the Companion has won more than 35 ACP awards and twice has been named one of the top three denominational magazines in North America.

Companion features editor Bob Smietana authored four of the award-winning pieces this year:

An award of excellence in the magazine-editorial & opinion category for "The Danger of Theological Correctness" (December 2003). "With a gentle, almost lyrical tale from the past, the author leads us through the 'messy spirituality' of life. To err is human, he reminds us again. Our enemies, though perhaps very wrong, are still human," wrote judge James F. Scotton, associate professor in the Department of Journalism at Marquette University.
An award of excellence in the feature article-denominational, general interest magazine category for "If We Can Die Together, Can't We Live Together?" (May 2003). "Inspiring. Superb storytelling: The characters and experiences are vividly evoked throughout. An excellent oral history; it's important to record interviews with such eyewitnesses," wrote judge Nancy L. Roberts, professor of mass communication at the University of Minnesota.
An award of merit in the most personally useful article category for "When the Numbers Don't Add Up" (April 2003). "Embezzlement was a great topic. Churches should find this article very helpful," wrote judge Jan Colbert, associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism.
An honorable mention for "Emissaries of Peace" (May 2003).
Lisa Hudson, a member of Hillside Covenant Church in Walnut Creek, California, won an award of merit in the devotional/inspirational-short format category for "Restful or Restless" (September 2003). "What makes this exceptional is the obvious spiritual growth it describes in the author, who humbly chooses to 'wait on God' in her recovery," wrote judge Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda, an author and award-winning Catholic journalists.
Companion designer Steve Luce won an honorable mention in the story or spread, three- or four-color category for "Positive Reactions," a recap of CHIC 2003.

"What makes these awards even more significant is the fact that we compete against magazines representing denominations that are many times larger than the Covenant – with significantly larger staffs and budgets," said Don Meyer, Companion editor and executive minister of the Department of Communication. "The Companion focuses on content that is both timely and relevant to our readers' interests. We are understandably proud of each member of the team that produces this high-quality publication each month and trust that it is a source of inspiration, enlightenment and encouragement to all who read it."

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