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Black Press Media winners take gold at B.C. and Yukon journalism awards

Publications received nods in dozens of categories
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British Columbia-Yukon Community News Association’s 2021 Ma Murray Awards were handed out during a virtual ceremony on Friday, June 10. (Screen grab)

Hosted by the BC & Yukon Community News Media Association, the awards honour and celebrate the work of community journalists across the province for advertising, photography, writing and overall newspaper excellence.

The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony on Friday (June 10).

Here are the Black Press Media winners: (gold in bold, rankings in order)

NEWSPAPER EXCELLENCE AWARD, CATEGORY A

• Eagle Valley News (silver)

• North Thompson Times (bronze)

NEWSPAPER EXCELLENCE AWARD, CATEGORY B

• Revelstoke Review

• 100 Mile House Free Press (silver)

NEWSPAPER EXCELLENCE AWARD, CATEGORY C

• The Interior News (silver)

• Salmon Arm Observer (bronze)

NEWSPAPER EXCELLENCE AWARD, CATEGORY D

• Alberni Valley News (silver)

• Williams Lake Tribune (bronze)

NEWSPAPER EXCELLENCE AWARD, CATEGORY F

• Peace Arch News

• Vernon Morning Star (silver)

• Langley Advance Times (bronze)

NEWSPAPER EXCELLENCE AWARD, CATEGORY G

• Surrey Now-Leader

ARTS & CULTURE WRITING AWARD

• Langley Advance Times, Ryan Uytdewilligen – Friday Afternoon Tunes

Aberdeen Publishing COLUMNIST AWARD

• Langley Advance Times, Matthew Claxton – The Painful Truth (silver)

• The Similkameen Spotlight, Andrea DeMeer – Old dogs new tricks (bronze)

Black Family EDITORIAL AWARD

• Parksville/Qualicum Beach News, Philip Wolf – Cold weather woes

• Cowichan Valley Citizen, Andrea Rondeau – Fire inspections

• Hope Standard, Emelie Peacock – Cat killers

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE AWARD

• North Island Gazette, Zoe Ducklow – What does 7 Mile Landfill do with your recycling?

• Nelson Star, Bill Metcalfe – Youth climate strikers reach 53 weeks (silver)

ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING AWARD

• Abbotsford News, Tyler Olsen – Is quarry’s danger enough reason to remove rare (silver)

Peregrine falcon nesting site?

• Revelstoke Review, Liam Harrap – Talking garbage, saving bears (bronze)

FEATURE ARTICLE AWARD, OVER 10,000

• Chilliwack Progress, Jenna Hauck – Dad rescues two daughters after truck plunges into

Cultus Lake (silver)

FEATURE ARTICLE AWARD, UNDER 10,000

• Nelson Star, Tyler Harper – Dangerous oasis

• Revelstoke Review, Jocelyn Doll, Liam Harrap – Out of the shadows (silver)

• Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal, Barbara Roden – Small communities can be a big help on

Alzheimer’s journey (bronze)

FEATURE SERIES AWARD

• Victoria News, Katherine Engqvist, Nina Grossman, Nicole Crescenzi, Kendra Crighton – Mental Health: A look at a fractured system (silver)

• Peace Arch News, Aaron Hinks – A parallel pandemic (bronze)

John Collison MEMORIAL AWARD FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

• The Similkameen Spotlight, Andrea DeMeer – Child sex offender on parole lives near Princeton school

Neville Shanks MEMORIAL AWARD FOR HISTORICAL WRITING

• Hope Standard, Emelie Peacock – History Coming Down

OUTDOOR RECREATION WRITING AWARD

• Nelson Star, Tyler Harper – Lily and the lake

• Hope Standard, Emelie Peacock – Mosquitos, mountain views and Trail magic (silver)

SPORTS WRITING AWARD

• Yukon News, John Hopkins-Hill – Yukon Quest coverage

• Chilliwack Progress, Eric Welsh – Laing’s life forever altered by hit to the head (silver)

FEATURE PHOTO AWARD, OVER 10,000

• Yukon News, Crystal Schick – Ice spirals

• Cloverdale Reporter, Malin Jordan – Cloverdale mom meets driver involved in crash that killed her son (bronze)

FEATURE PHOTO AWARD, UNDER 10,000

• Nelson Star, Tyler Harper – Ida and Lily take a breather

• Hope Standard, Jessica Peters – Never too early (silver)

• Williams Lake Tribune, Monica Lamb-Yorski – Seniors centre parking lot coffee a hit (bronze)

PHOTO ESSAY AWARD

• Yukon News, Crystal Schick – An inside look at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing centre

• Oak Bay News, Travis Paterson, Dan Ebenal, Christine Van Reeuwyk, Katie Engqvist – Day in the Life of Oak Bay (bronze)

PORTRAIT/PERSONALITY PHOTO AWARD

• Kelowna Capital News, Phil McLachlan – Kelowna WWII veteran reflects (silver)

SPORTS PHOTO AWARD, OVER 10,000

• Cowichan Valley Citizen, Kevin Rothbauer – Fourth Island title for Brentwood (silver)

• Peace Arch News, Aaron Hinks – Runners complete Boston Marathon in South Surrey (bronze)

SPORTS PHOTO AWARD, UNDER 10,000

• North Island Gazette, Bill McQuarrie – ‘Spacecapades’ ice carnival

• Cariboo Observer, Lindsay Chung – The musher and the mail (silver)

• Hope Standard, Barry Stewart – For the love of hockey (bronze)

SPOT NEWS PHOTO AWARD, UNDER 10,000

• Hope Standard, Emelie Peacock – Potash Crash

• Williams Lake Tribune, Angie Mindus – City, volunteers scramble to save infrastructure (silver)

• The Northern View, K-J Millar – Downtown Devastation (bronze)

KPU FEATURE VIDEO AWARD

• Vernon Morning Star, Jennifer Smith – Vernon Girls Trumpet Band Alumni

• Victoria News, Arnold Lim – Victoria Native Friendship Centre (silver)

• Saanich News, Devon Bidal – Students make necklaces to raise funds for injured Saanich girl (bronze)

KPI MULTIMEDIA BREAKING NEWS STORY AWARD

• Williams Lake Tribune, Angie Mindus, Monica Lamb-Yorski – Flooding causes state of emergency

• Kelowna Capital News, Twila Amato, Michael Rodrigez, Jen Zielinski – Police confirm man shot at Ramada Hotel, search for suspect continues (silver)

KPU MULTIMEDIA FEATURE STORY AWARD

• North Island Gazette, ZoeDucklow – Salmon babies in safe haven in north Vancouver Island (silver)

• Comox Valley Record, Erin Haluschak – ‘Someone knows something’: a look into Vancouver Island missing persons (bronze)

COVID COVERAGE – EDITORIAL, OVER 10,000

• Campbell River Mirror, Alistair Taylor, Mike Davies, Marc Kitteringham, Binny Paul – Coping with COVID

• Kelowna Capital News, Phil McLachlan – Reflections from the front lines

COVID COVERAGE – EDITORIAL, UNDER 10,000

• Nelson Star, Tyler Harper – Ramadan in a pandemic

• Ashcroft Cache Creek, Barbara Roden – Many big-city shoppers flocking to small towns for supplies

• Lake Country, Jennifer Smith – Local scientist a first to snap photo of COVID-19

Eric Dunning AWARD FOR DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY

• Vernon Morning Star, Glenn Mitchell

Coast Capital Savings NEW JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

• Vernon Morning Star, Brendan Shykora

• Saanich News, Devon Bidal

• Yukon News, Gabrielle Plonka

SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS AWARD, OVER 10,000

• Comox Valley Record, Erin Haluschak – Trio Magazine (silver)

• Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News – Lisa Farquharson & team – Bijou (bronze)

SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS AWARD, UNDER 10,000

• Revelstoke Review – Myles Williamson, Josh White, Tammy Robinson and Anthony Cassell – The Hungry Toque

• Oak Bay News, Janet Gairdner, Susan Lundy, Lia Crowe, Michelle Gjerde – Tweed Magazine, winter issue (bronze)

SPECIAL SECTION AWARD, OVER 10,000

• Goldstream News-Gazette, Michelle Cabana & team – Courage Remembered

• Langley Advance Times team – Heroes in Education (bronze)

SPECIAL SECTION AWARD, UNDER 10,000

• Revelstoke Review, Jocelyn Doll, Liam Harrap, Myles Williamson, Sydney Watt – Women of Inspiration

• Alberni Valley News, Teresa Bird, Susie Quinn, Elena Rardon, Rachel Theus – We will remember them (silver)

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