The Record staff won seven awards, including four first place awards, in the annual journalism contest sponsored by the Louisville Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The awards, which honor work published in 2013, were presented at a dinner and ceremony June 19 at the Bristol Bar and Grille in downtown Louisville.
The Record was judged in the non-metro community newspaper division.
The Record’s coverage of Pope Francis’ election won first place in the continuing coverage category. Staff writer Jessica Able and assistant editor Marnie McAllister submitted three stories on the papal election, including one story focused on a mock conclave held at St. Edward School.
The judges said of the submission, “The profiles on Pope Francis were as delightful as they were informative, and the piece about the student ballots was very interesting.”
Able also won first place for feature writing. Her entry included stories about the Schnitzelburg dainty contest, Catholic prison ministry and local faith clubs for developmentally disabled adults.
The judges said, “The writing flows very nicely. It’s very easy to read and it’s also quite pleasant to read what you’ve written.”
Able also won a third place award in health care reporting for a story about a nutrition camp for children at an inner-city school.
In the editorial writing category, McAllister won first place for an editorial on human trafficking. The judges said, “Well-written and purposeful. Good work tackling the local impacts of an international issue.”
McAllister also won first place for minority and women’s affairs reporting. She submitted stories about a prayer service to end human trafficking, four sisters who entered a convent together and Catholic Charities’ development of curriculum for a national education program related to refugee resettlement.
McAllister also received a third-place award for personality/profile reporting. The submission included stories about Sister of Mercy Mary Prisca Pfeffer, Xaverian Brother Ed Driscoll and a couple marking their 75th wedding anniversary.
Glenn Rutherford, editor of The Record, placed third in the editorial category for a piece on the gun violence and massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
