Catholic Review honored by regional press association

The Catholic Review received several top honors for news writing, photography, page design and advertising from the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association at the regional press association’s annual awards convocation, April 26-27 in Ellicott City.

The Catholic Review competed in a division with non-daily newspapers with a circulation of 20,000 or more.

Bernice Twum-Barimah, designer, won first place for page one cover design for The Catholic Review’s Feb. 23, 2006 issue. For the same design, Ms. Twum-Barimah also won the coveted “best-in-show” award – beating out the first-place winners in larger newspapers including The Baltimore Sun.

The Catholic Review staff won first place in the special section category for a special section about the restoration of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore. The judges said the issue featured “awesome” photography and a “nice layout – airy, yet full of content.” They described the section’s stories as being “knowledgeable and informative.”

George P. Matysek Jr., staff correspondent, won second place in the education category for a story about a student with Down Syndrome at Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore.

In the spot news photo category, a second-place honor was awarded to Owen Sweeney III, photographer, for his photo of a turtle race at Trinity School in Ellicott City.

Second-place advertising awards were presented to Mary Gebbia, John McNulty and Greg Poehlman, advertising representatives, for their ads in a special marriage section called “I Do.”

Stephanie Lewis, head of the production department, received a third-place award for a half-page promotional ad promoting The Catholic Review Web site.

“Each year our staff receives affirmation from our colleagues in the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association by virtue of honors for journalistic, design and sales excellence,” said Daniel Medinger, associate publisher and editor of The Catholic Review. “This year we are especially pleased with both the number and quality of the awards.”

He added, “There are some – both inside the Catholic Church and in secular society – who are skeptical that quality journalism can happen in a religious publication. With these awards, it is clear that our peers and colleagues in the Press Association are telling us that we are first rate.”

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