Awards Recognise Messenger’s New Design

Cluster Creative Designers - Adam Errington and Amy Potter

One of the features of the 2012 ACPA Awards was the rare distinction gained by the Messenger for our new layout and design adopted in July 2011. There was considerable comment at the time of the change, most of it positive, but some specific enough for some new features to be abandoned. The notorious black pages with white print did not survive the first issue. But the overall design survived and thrived.

Layout Assistant Glen McCullough receives the Award

The judge in his citation said: “the magazine successfully overcame limitations of size. Layout and design showed energy and purpose with strong use of photographs and graphics supported by a judicious placement of colour. There was good use of eye-pleasing white space which helped enhance type faces and headings to good effect.”

The Messenger was also awarded first prize in the Category Best Editorial for the October 2011 Focus Young Kiwis taking their own lives - “tackling the sensitive and distressing issue of suicide in a balanced and constructive fashion”.

The new Category of Best Article on Catechesis was awarded to Fr Merv Duffy’s column “That Clumsy Word in the Creed”, a simple and clear explanation of ‘consubstantial’  (MM June 2011).The premier Bishop Kennedy Awards were won by Southern Cross Adelaide (newspapers) and Australian Catholics Melbourne (magazines).

The Awards for the ARPA conference were competed for by a much larger pool of publications, and some categories had 50+  entries. The Messenger’s entry in the Best New Writer won the Gold Certificate for Michele O’Neill’s story The Basket in the MM Sept 2011.”handling a highly emotive topic with skill and sensitivity”.

Other NZ Catholic publications to receive awards were Tui Motu Interislands with a win in the Ecumenical Story Award at ACPA plus three Highly Commended ; and  two silver certicates at ARPA .

Julie Belding

NZ Catholic received Certificates at both Conferences, including a Silver Award for Best News Item at ARPA. The prestigious Gutenberg Award at ARPA was won by Julie Belding of Auckland, an energetic and long-serving promoter of religous writing in New Zealand, and editor of several different publications