June 12 2009

Register claims top prizes in Catholic Press Awards contest

The Tennessee Register won several top honors for writing and photography in the 2009 Catholic Press Awards contest.

“We have an excellent staff at the Tennessee Register dedicated to serving the Catholics of the Diocese of Nashville, and it is gratifying to see that the professionals affiliated with the Catholic Press Association recognized their talent and hard work,” said Rick Musacchio, editor of the Register.

The prizes were announced on Friday, May 29, at the Catholic Media Convention in Anaheim, Calif. The convention is jointly sponsored by the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals.

Staff Writer Theresa Laurence won five awards, including first place for Best News Writing on a local or regional issue in a diocesan newspaper with a circulation between 17,001 and 40,000. The winning article was “Patients face tough choices as TennCare cuts loom.” The judges’ comments were:

“This well-defined story is written in a direct manner that explores a serious social, financial and moral dilemma. Multiple sources give the story depth, its greatest coming from examples of people directly affected by the cuts.”

Other awards Laurence won included:

• Second place for Best Feature Writing, for the article “Faith sustains soldiers, families during wartime.” The judges said: “Theresa Laurence has written an inspirational account of self revelation among soldiers relying on their faith in God. In this single ambitious article, Laurence used long-form storytelling techniques to provide the readers with depth, character description and development. This piece seems to be very personal to Laurence, and she has honored the subject competently.”

• Third place for Best Featuring Writing for the article “Priest mentors ‘Little Brother’ by just being there.” The judges said: “Theresa Laurence has written an interesting story about the relationship of ‘Big Brother’ Father Wolf and ‘Little Brother’ James Myers. Laurence’s story bulges with details of sights (‘… riding their bikes’), sounds (‘… tire popped’), and the cool dialogue (‘That’s cool’) as she provides some insight into the duo’s relationship. A good read.”

• Third place for Individual Excellence as a writer/editor. The judges said: “Laurence takes on some great topics, and she does them well. Nice transitions and appropriately chosen quotes are key to her writing style.”

• Honorable mention for Best Photo Portrait for a photograph of several children who are refugees from Somalia living in Nashville.

Register columnist Christopher Fenoglio also won a first place award for his column “Reel Life Journeys” in the category of Best Regular Column on Culture, The Arts and Leisure. The judges said: “The winner has a wonderful writing style that begs the reader to get to the next paragraph, and the next and the next. He combines ordinary activities like running and playing baseball with messages that resonate. Lively reading.”

Managing Editor Andy Telli won two first place awards. The first was in the category of Best Editorial on a Local Issue for the editorial “Searching for justice in the case of Paul House.” The judges said, “Effective story telling blended with simple stats and concrete, evocative details to create a compelling and persuasive piece.”

Telli’s second first place award was in the category of Best Photo Portrait for his photograph of two young girls in the balcony of a church in the town of Petite Riviere de Nippes, Haiti. The judges said: “Nice mix of candid and directive photography. Captures a certain innocence and draws the audience in.”

The Register also won an honorable mention in the category of General Excellence for diocesan newspapers with a circulation between 17,001 and 40,000.

Photos top to bottom: Theresa Laurence, Chhris Fenoglio, and Andy Telli.