General News and Announcements

Two United Church magazines and a video production have walked away with an armload of media awards this month.

In fact, it’s likely safe to say that The United Church Observer is the most decorated mainline church magazine in North America this spring—winning a total of 42 awards in the U.S. and Canada.

Mandate magazine won five awards at the Canadian Church Press convention held in Toronto this past weekend. Awards include first place for General Excellence in its category (specialized magazines). For this significant award, magazines submit three issues, which are judged overall for both design and editorial. In addition, Mandate won another first, a second, a third, and an honourable mention.

A United Church video production was also recognized at the 45th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival. The United Church was awarded silver in the Film and Video Productions (Agriculture) category for A New Crop: The Success of Conservation Farming. You can watch a condensed version of the video on our YouTube channel.

And The United Church Observer, The United Church of Canada’s independent national magazine, has won more awards than any other American or Canadian magazine in the 2011 editorial excellence competition run by the U.S.-based Associated Church Press (ACP).

The Observer came home from the ACP’s annual convention in Chicago in early May with a total of 19 awards. With seven Awards of Excellence, The Observer received more first-place honours than any other magazine in the competition. The Observer also had four second-place Awards of Merit, and eight third-place Honourable Mentions.

In addition, The Observer came away with a total of 23 awards, including seven firsts, at the Canadian Church Press Awards.

Congratulations to everyone!