Record Staff Report
The staff of The Record recently won 16 awards — including six first-place honors — in national and regional contests for work produced in 2019.
The Record staff won three distinctions from the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. The awards ceremony was held virtually during the Catholic Media Conference on July 2.
Record Editor Marnie McAllister won first place for Best Editorial on a National or International Issue: Weekly Diocesan Newspaper, Circulation 25,001 or more.
Judges called the editorial — titled “Protect children at the border” — “a textbook piece.”
“Other writers should imitate her structure. The writer lays out the issue; very vividly and clearly. She paints a picture of the reality. She touches on the philosophy and morality surrounding the situation.
The judges added that the piece “is a fundamentally perfect editorial; timely, detailed, high-quality and persuasive.”
McAllister and staff writer Jessica Able placed third for Best Coverage of the Crisis at the Border.
The staff of The Record also received an honorable mention for Best Newspaper: Weekly Diocesan Newspaper, Circulation 25,001 or more.
The Record staff also earned 13 awards in the 2020 Society of Professional Journalists Louisville Metro Journalism Awards contest June 25. The Record was judged in the Regional Community division.
McAllister won first place for Editorial Writing. The judges noted that McAllister is a “thoughtful writer who does her research, is well-informed, and works at connecting with her readers.”
McAllister also won first place for Feature Writing.
Able won first place for Feature and Sport Photography for an image of horse trainer Richard Mandella and Kentucky Derby contender Omaha Beach. Judges called the photograph “a nice portrait of a familiar sport and a carefully captured moment all rolled into one.”
Able also won first place for General News Photography for a photograph of a child at a Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Able also won first place for Continuing Coverage. Judges called a series of stories detailing work of volunteers at the U.S. southern border “storytelling with a purpose. “It balances what readers know they want with what they cannot anticipate but need. The stories build while remaining interesting and take the reader on a deliberate path.”
Able also won first place for Public Affairs Writing.
McAllister also placed second in Continuing Coverage.
Able also won second place for best video non-broadcast and second place in environmental reporting in the metro division.
Staff writer Ruby Thomas won second place in Feature Writing, Public Affairs Writing, Feature and Sport Photography and third in Continuing Coverage.
Winning 15 awards is a record. Hearty congratulations to the staff of the Record.