By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Hawaii Catholic Herald took the top newspaper award in its circulation class at the Catholic Media Convention on May 29 in Anaheim, Calif. — first place, General Excellence, diocesan newspaper, 1-17,000 circulation.
Second place went to The B.C. Catholic, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, British Columbia. Winning third was the Catholic Northwest Progress, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
The competition was among all Catholic newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.
“Its clear a lot of thought and planning go into each issue of the Hawaii Catholic Herald,” wrote the judges. “From the cover story and art to Hawaii Catholic Harold’s Quiz, the publication blends serious stories with features, columns and good art.”
“The Herald gives its readers articles about faith and a perspective of how the church affects everyday issues throughout the publication,” the commentary continued. “It also is well designed and invites the reader in.”
The Hawaii Catholic Herald has won first place in the general excellence category five times in the past nine years.
The annual convention at the Anaheim Marriott gathered Catholic media professionals from the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada, and the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals.
The Hawaii Catholic Herald also took home two other prizes: second place in the “Best Use of Syndicated, Wire Service Art or Graphics” category, for “Destination: Down Under,” a centerspread preview of World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia; and an honorable mention in the “Best Reporting on Young Adults” category for “Mana‘olana,” the paper’s young adult pages.
The first place General Excellence winners in the higher circulation categories were The Compass, of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., circulation 17,001-40,000, and The Catholic Spirit, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul, Minn., circulation 40,001-plus.
The National Catholic Reporter was picked as the top national Catholic newspaper.
The awards were judged by the American Press Institute, an independent firm.