TORONTO — Mennonite World Review won seven awards, its second most ever, at the annual convention of Associated Church Press on May 1.
For the 13th year in a row, MWR won one of the top three awards for national or international newspapers. It received the second-place Award of Merit in the best-in-class competition.
MWR also won five awards for writing and one for design.
Assistant editor and web editor Kelli Yoder received the second-place Award of Merit for “Lancaster Revokes Minister’s Credentials,” the story of Chester Wenger, a 96-year-old retired pastor, who was disciplined by Lancaster Mennonite Conference for officiating at his son’s same-sex wedding. The category was news story in a newspaper or newsletter.
Columnist Sarah Kehrberg received the first-place Award of Excellence for “Cramer Avenue.” The category was column in a newspaper, news service, newsletter, website or blog.
Freelance writer Ben Goossen received the first-place Award of Excellence for “When Tradition Meets Culture: Immigrants from Former Soviet Union Challenge German Secularism.” The category was first-person account or personal experience, short format, in a newspaper or newsletter.
Freelance writer Dan Shenk received the third-place Honorable Mention for “Portrait of a ‘Sundown Town’: Coming to Terms with Racism in a Mennonite Community.” The category was in-depth coverage in a newspaper or newsletter.
Columnist Melanie Springer Mock received the third-place Honorable Mention in the critical review category for “A Work of Magical Realism,” a review of Jessica Penner’s novel Shaken in the Water.
MWR received the second-place Award of Merit for newspaper front-page design for the Sept. 1, 2014, issue (pictured).
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