Few moments are as sweet as being recognized for your hard work, and the L.A. Parent team is excited to announce that the Parenting Media Association (PMA) showered us with four Gold Awards for our editorial content.
Publisher Ron Epstein likens the annual PMA editorial and design awards to Academy and Grammy Awards — for the parenting media industry. The award submissions are judged by University of Missouri School of Journalism faculty. Says Epstein: “It’s the best writing, design and digital presentation being judged by some of the best teachers in our country.”
Judges look for the best in local and regional parenting publications, special issues, websites and social media, the PMA website states. “Editorial judges evaluate entries for accurate and comprehensive reporting, superior writing and thoughtful analysis of the issues relevant to the publication’s audience and evidence of editorial judgment, insight and enterprise.”
Here are L.A. Parent’s wins for this year’s award ceremony:
Best Column: Publisher or Editor’s Note for Editor-in-Chief Cassandra Lane’s editorial columns, including those in the September/October issue and April/May magazine. Judge’s comments: These words flow down the page, effortlessly carrying the reader through a personal story that creates a relationship with and relates to the reader. Whether it’s finding travel, like books, as a way to discover people and places beyond our physical and experiential space or adapting to the changes and challenges in our relationships to our growing children, the writer reminds us that parent and child benefit from embracing discovery.
Best Profile: Tracing Octavia’s Footsteps for L.A. native author and journalist Lynell George’s article in the May/June issue. Judge’s comments: This innovative way to profile the late author Octavia Butler maps the “touchstone” places that influenced her writing several groundbreaking sci-fi novels. Circling around her native Pasadena and nearby Los Angeles, readers discover how Butler rose from modest means to visionary author, as told through the places that meant the most to her.
General Feature Writing for Lane’s Summer on the Farm article in the March/April issue. Judge’s comments: This is an exceptional example of creating a sense of place through lively writing, colorful characters and rich, savory details. The journey to the farm is expertly chronicled and grounded in useful information, but the writer’s voice adds layers of wit and enthusiasm. It delivers a happy reading experience that is also supremely helpful.
Service Feature for My Body, Your Body by L.A.-based writer and mom Chelsee Lowe in the January/February issue. Judge’s comments: On a topic that can often be difficult to discuss, the writer sets readers immediately at ease by recollecting body image struggles from her own childhood. The feature then lays out expert advice and actionable information for parents – from how to be a positive role model to understanding how counseling can help – for a feature that is truly vital and an important service to its audience.
“These awards are a testament to the ongoing work that our editors do to present top-quality content to families in our community that is well written, well researched and well presented,” Epstein says. “It’s what keeps L.A. Parent an important and trusted resource for moms and dads.”
Learn more about PMA at parentmedia.org.
