The Catholic Standard newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington received eight 2019 Catholic Press Awards from the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. The awards were announced in June at the Catholic Media Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Catholic Standard received five first place awards, a second place award, and two third place awards. The El Pregonero Spanish language newspaper of the archdiocese earned nine awards in the competition. The awards recognized outstanding work done in 2018.
The Catholic Standard’s feature story, “A Portrait of the Artist: Light and beauty inspire classic style of artist Henry Wingate,” received a first place award for “Best Personality Profile” for writer Emma Restuccia, a communications associate for the Archdiocese of Washington. Judges noted “the subject’s personality and drive are beautifully captured in this profile. Excellent inclusion of environmental and character observations from the writer.”
That article also received a first place award for “Best Multiple Picture Package” for Jaclyn Lippelmann, the Catholic Standard’s former photographer who now serves as director of digital media for the Archdiocese of Washington. Judges praised the article’s “great environmental portrait collection (and) excellent balance of painter working, tools he uses, subjects he paints and the environment in which he works. I love the use of light.”
Restuccia and Lippelmann also received a second place award for “Best Story and Photo Package” for that article, with judges noting, “We are treated in amazing detailed pictures and story to the life of a visual artist. We see him painting from a live model and then in a remarkable detailed photo, (we see) the artist in his studio standing by huge windows with nine of his paintings hanging or leaning on a wall. And we see him contemplating his work, hand on chin. The article is equally arresting. The lede compels us to continue reading into a wonderfully written rich story of a gifted artist who has found his niche in religious art, a package that uses a full palette of color.”
Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, earned a first place award for “Best Regular Column -- Spiritual Life” for his “Faith in Action” column for the Catholic Standard. The judges noted, “Msgr. John Enzler brings readers to the scene of what he is thinking. His prose and analysis provide insight into whatever topic he is writing about. His style is easy on the eyes, but (reaches) through to the mind and gives readers not just opinions of what he thinks but grounds his work in details that explain his commentaries based on facts.”
Msgr. Enzler’s columns entered in the contest included “Seeing the heart” about the 50th anniversary since the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; “How to be spiritual champions” written after the Washington Capitals won hockey’s Stanley Cup; and “Sorting through the emotions” in which he discussed people’s feelings of “anger, confusion, doubt and betrayal” in the aftermath of the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. “I understand it all, because I feel the same things,” he wrote.
The Catholic Standard also earned a first place award for “Best Analysis/Background/Round-up News Writing” for its three-part series, “Catholic Schools Confront Historic Ties to Slavery,” with stories by editor Mark Zimmermann and reporter Kelly Sankowski, and photos by Jaclyn Lippelmann. The articles examined how three local Catholic high schools – Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland; and Gonzaga College High School and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, D.C. – are reckoning with how their schools benefited from the institution of slavery before emancipation, and lessons they are trying to teach students today about recognizing the dignity of all people and working for justice.
Praising those articles, judges noted, “Wow. Pretty powerful story. Utterly unique: I’ve never heard the likes of it before. A Catholic school selling slaves to stay open? And a Catholic member of Congress doing the buying? And it comes in a beautiful package. Everything is nice: great writing, excellent photos, clean layout, nice historic images, sharp graphics. It is very long, but stretches without breaking. Well covered, well told and well done.”
The Catholic Standard earned another first place award for “Best Special Supplement” for its 2018 graduation section, with stories by reporter Kelly Sankowski, editor Mark Zimmermann, managing editor Richard Szczepanowski and freelance writer Maureen Boyle, and photos by Jaclyn Lippelmann. The section opened with Sankowski’s story on college signing day for graduating seniors at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Maryland, which offers a college preparatory program and an innovative work study program in which its students help pay for their tuition by working at top firms and businesses in the Washington area. The school serves families with limited financial resources, and many of the Cristo Rey graduates are the first members of their families to attend college.
Judges praised the Catholic Standard’s graduation section, noting, “This section offers in-depth features on a kaleidoscope of graduates whose Catholic faith and school experiences often are platforms for their future goals. Clean design with large portraits of the graduates anchors each story.”
The Catholic Standard also won a third place award for “Best Photo Story” for Jaclyn Lippelmann’s photos on “The Way of the Cross: Faithful take to streets to remember Jesus’s sorrowful walk to Calvary.” Her photos showed the Via Crucis (“Way of the Cross”) procession on Good Friday winding about three miles between two Maryland parishes, Our Lady of Sorrows in Takoma Park and St. Camillus in Silver Spring. Some participants reenacted the events of Christ’s passion, while crowds prayerfully walked alongside them. Judges noted, “The framing and layering of each picture helps tell the story. The crowd image includes the massive following behind the cross and reenactment procession. Close-ups put the viewer in the middle of the event.”
Another third place award was earned by the Catholic Standard in the “Best Front Page – Tabloid” category, for front pages featuring photographs and designs by Jaclyn Lipplemann. Judges commended the Catholic Standard front pages for “a nice job of balancing visuals and type to entice readers to pick up the paper for both the cover story and interior stories. Good work!”
El Pregonero’s honors included a second place award for Spanish publication of the year, and first place awards for best editorial page, best cover, best coverage of papal trips, best coverage of canonizations, and best reporting on the family.
