The Carillon wins national awards

The Carillon earned five Canadian Community Newspaper Awards according to an announcement made Monday by the Canadian Community Newspaper Association.

Three first place awards were received including best national editorial, best coverage of the arts and best sports coverage for 2023.

Two second place awards were received for best historical story and best spot news photo coverage.

Judges commented on all the award-winning entries in the category of circulation up to 9,999.

The first place for sports coverage drew comments from judges who appreciated the array of coverage, high quality writing and photography saying there was “a sense the reporter really knew the community and its history”. It also highlighted the sports column, written by James Loewen as being “informative and entertaining”.

“The community is well-served by this sports coverage and its talented sports editor and team,” they concluded.

The best coverage of the arts entry also won first place. It included articles and photography from Jordan Ross, Greg Vandermeulen and Svjetlana Mlinarevic. A story written about a tiny art gallery installed in Steinbach earned special mention.

“These stories shine the light on the important work (done by) the artists/authors and community members,” judges said. “Hurray for stories like these being told and not overlooked.”

Carillon editor Greg Vandermeulen also won first place for best national editorial for a piece titled “Feds right to punish provinces for health care billing”.

Judges described it as a “great example of what a national editorial should be” noting that a national topic was made relevant to a local audience.

“The writer had done the research so that the facts were clear and well presented,” judges wrote. “In a good use of facts, the writer was also able to debunk a lot of myths about the issue.”

Former Carillon reporter Jordan Ross won two second place awards, the first for best historical story called “Floor patterns focus of latest MHV exhibit”. Judges praised the article saying it “put a homey touch on the minutia of daily life in a Mennonite community”.

“A really super piece,” they added. “Fun, informative, great photos – a treat.”

Ross was also recognized with a second-place award for best spot news photo coverage for an entry titled “Teen critical after Giroux-area crash”, which judges said featured great composition and timing.