TulsaKids Magazine Honored with 21 Awards by Parenting Media Association

TulsaKids magazine was awarded General Excellence first place honors for TulsaKids magazine, TulsaKids website and TulsaKids Baby Guide at the annual Parenting Media Association conference held in Philadelphia last month. In addition to the three General Excellence awards, TulsaKids was recognized with 18 other editorial, design and digital media honors.

The Editorial and Design Awards Competition recognizes excellence in journalism, photography and design achieved by publishers, editors, writers and designers at member publications. Prof. Daryl Moen of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism coordinated the annual contest. A panel of 26 judges reviewed entries from any publications to choose the winners in each category.

Winning entries, along with judges’ comments include:

Briefs/Short Stuff

Silver:  “News & Notes,” Betty Casey, editor

The collection of briefs is nicely arranged with a mix of topics that reach into diverse corners of the community, covering faith, food, health, special needs and more. Ample attention is also paid to calendar items that expand opportunities for parents and children.

It is attractive, well written and helpful.

Column: Child Development & Parenting Issues

Gold: Cindy Webb

In “Stages: School Age,” Webb reacts sensitively to breaking news and common parenting dilemmas with timely anecdotes and practical tips from experts and her own experiences. Her writing style is highly accessible.

Bronze: Kiley Roberson

The writer does an excellent job in “Stages: Babies & Toddlers” selecting themes important to parents, and her writing flows well and offers clear, helpful recommendations and resources.

Column: Family Matters

Bronze: “Education,” Karen Moult

This column, while offering great information to readers, lacks some individual voice that could help it be more effective with readers. Shorter, more detailed leads could help draw readers into the material, which is informative and educational. “Real people” who speak about the issues being addressed do help overcome this difficulty to some degree.

Column: Family Fun

Gold: “Get Cooking,” Natalie Mikles

This was a very fun read. The author does a good job of using her and her children’s experiences to inform the readers of great opportunities to explore their community.

Silver: “Sports & Fitness,” Jennifer Luitwieler

The author did a good job of providing information about opportunities that

parents probably were not aware of. The story was very well written and descriptive.

Travel Feature

Silver: Diane Tritt Eaton, “Ride ‘em Cowboy (and Cowgirl) at Texas Ranch Life”

Spending a summer vacation on a dude ranch may sound like a cliché but not in the hands of this writer whose description of it makes it resonate as a trip that’s unique and exciting. By offering important details in a succinct but interesting narrative, readers get a good sense of what is in store for them if they visit.

Profile

Gold: Karen Moult

A moving story about a father’s love and dedication for his autistic son. For a single father, the job is exhausting, but the father’s love drives both his life and the life of his son. It is hard not to be moved when you read this story.

Interview

Bronze: Julie Wenger Watson

The author does a good job of getting the nationally known subject to address subjects of interest to local readers. The story was well researched and written.

Front Cover: Use of Stock Photo

Gold: “January 2013,” Chuck Foshee

This striking cover is a fine tribute to the victims of Sandy Hook. It’s simple and subtle. The starburst and black background draw attention to the flame, and the soft light illuminates only the inside of the hand. It’s breathtaking.

Silver: “May 2013,” Chuck Foshee

Excellent use of typography and color make this entry stand out. The child’s shirt and hat colors are used for the teases. The photograph is a good choice for a May cover with stories for Mother’s Day.

Interior Photography (Original)

Silver: Leslie Hoyt, photographer; Chuck Foshee, graphic artist

The lighting, composition, large display and beautiful color reproduction certainly draw in readers. The generational contrast ties beautifully to the theme of the story.

Best Promotion

Gold: Abby Rodgers

The Cover Kid contest is a fun exercise to involve both children and parents with the magazine, and a great, playful way to connect the magazine to its audience.

Ancillary Cover

Silver: “College Planner,” Chuck Foshee, graphic designer

This cover employs a classy and mature design to match the topic. The use of the warm color against the grey emphasizes the three-dimensional and layered appearance. The viewer feels the layers to the typography moving forward or falling away. Shows a mastery of the use of type.

Bronze: “Baby Guide,” Leslie Hoyt, photographer, Chuck Foshee, graphic designer

The clean and smooth presentation makes this cover easy to read and digest. The typography plays well off the clothes in the photograph. The image and design work together. Nice light reflected in the baby’s eyes for a little spark of engagement.

Best Blog/Bloggers

Gold: Baby Mama; Abby Rodgers

Abby Rodgers has a great voice. Her writing is easy to relate to, useful and, most importantly, easy to read. Her blogs almost feel like it’s an email from a friend. And she’s funny, to boot.

Silver: “Editor’s Blog;” Betty Casey

Betty Casey’s perspective about parenting from years down the road provides insight for parents of all ages about what’s ahead. It’s insightful without being preachy and sentimental without being smarmy.

Best E-Newsletter

Gold: Abby Rodgers

This newsletter is a useful digest of news and information every parent will want at their fingertips. The editor does a magnificent job of weaving together health and safety reminders, school district news, parenting advice and an event listing in a concise digest. Combine that with a clean design enhanced by crisp photography and this newsletter stands apart from the pack.

General Excellence: Ancillary Publications

Gold: “Baby Guide,” TulsaKids Magazine

Chuck Foshee, Carly Sullivan-Rivers, Betty Casey

“TulsaKids Baby Guide” is packed with important tips for new and expectant parents. The stories are well written and clearly presented, and the directories provide a wealth of easy-to-navigate information on relevant services, classes and resources

Website General Excellence

Gold: TulsaKids Magazine, Abby Rodgers

An ample supply of interesting stories is presented with a friendly voice.

Clean design with good typography makes the site easy to read and navigate. Sidebar items, such as the list of popular articles, keep the audience reading no matter where they are within the site. There is also plenty of good directory information and good local voice in the blogs.

General Excellence

Gold: TulsaKids Magazine

Chuck Foshee, Betty Casey and Cindy Webb.

With an emphasis on conversational first-person writing, Tulsa Kids is a thoroughly professional, informative and entertaining publication. The reporting is based on good sourcing. The all-important covers are local and striking. Tulsa offers advice on parenting, a strong calendar and essays on a range of topics.

Established in March 1988, PMA is a national trade association of regional parenting publications that reaches from Seattle to Boston and from Minneapolis to Miami, and to Canada and Australia. Some of the publications are tabloid newspapers; others are magazines with 4-color, glossy covers.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, PMA is a nonprofit national organization representing more than 100 parenting magazines and newspapers in the United States, Canada and Australia. For more information about PMA, visit www.parentmedia.org.