Woman’s Press Club of Indiana will honor its annual communications contest winners virtually this year, as the May 2 banquet has been cancelled due to Coronoavirus concerns.
All of the first-place winners will compete with entries from other affiliates in the National Federation of Press Women communications contest. Those results will be presented at the NFPW conference in June.
The group also honored two members with its top awards.
Former WPCI president Tara Puckey is the 2020 Communicator of Achievement. This honor goes to a member who has excelled in her field. Puckey is director of strategic initiatives at the Radio Television Digital News Association and formerly was deputy executive director for the Society of Professional Journalists.
The WPCI recipient competes with other affiliates’ COA winners at the national level. That award will be presented at the NFPW conference.
Gena Asher is the recipient of WPCI’s highest honor, the Kate Milner Rabb award, for her services as contest director. Asher also administers the group’s website and social media accounts.
Photographer Kendal Miller is the recipient of the Louise Eleanor Ross Kleinhenz award, given in memory of Louise Eleanor Ross Kleinhenz, a 45-year-member of Woman’s Press Club of Indiana who served the organization as president, historian and Bulletin editor before her death in 1977.
WPCI vice-president and high school contest director Elizabeth Granger is the recipient of the Julie and Gene Slaymaker Public Service to Journalism Award. This honors a professional journalist or student who has provided public service to journalism in the past year.
2019 contest winners are:
Beth Edwards
First place, Writing > Specialty articles > Green/environmental: Tainted Dreams
Second place, Writing > Feature story > Online publication: Galvanized by Disaster
Second place, Writing > News Story > Online publication: Jobs vs. Health
Natalie Hoefer
First place, Writing > Specialty articles > History: Henryville parish marks 150 years of passing faith ‘one generation to another’
First place, Writing > Specialty articles > Religion: Catholic HEART work camps leave youths ‘fired up’
First place, Photography > Single photograph > News or feature photo: ‘SEEK’-ing God in Indianapolis
First place, Writing > Books, Short Stories, Verse > Creative verse > Single poem: Vertigo
First place, Photography > Photographer-writer: NCYC coverage
Carol Michel
First place, Writing > Books, Short Stories, Verse > Nonfiction Books for Adult Readers > Humor: Seeded and Sodded: Thoughts from a Gardening Life
Honorable mention, Web and Social Media > Podcasts (audio or video): Weeding with the Gardenangelists
Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
First place, Editing for Print or Online Publications > Publications regularly edited by entrant > Newsletter or other non-newspaper publication, non-profit, government, or educational: The Hoosier Gardener newsletter, September 2019
First place, Web and Social Media > Electronic newsletter > Personal: On the QT June-July 2019
Second place, Writing > Columns > Personal opinion (bylined, not editorial): The Hoosier Gardener: National magazine scouts Indianapolis-area gardens
Second place, Writing > Feature story > Magazine, newsletter or other non-newspaper publication: The only thing I ever wanted to do: The German Growers of Indianapolis
Third place, Writing > Columns > Personal opinion (bylined, not editorial): The Hoosier Gardener: Dish towel evokes Monet
Honorable mention, Writing > Columns > Personal opinion (bylined, not editorial): The Hoosier Gardener: From kids to trees, mothering duties rank high
Jessica Shrout
First place, Writing > Headlines: Planning to Fail
First place, Writing > Specialty articles > Business: Reducing Operational Costs and Promoting Economic Development
First place, Writing > Columns > Informational (how-to, Q&A, advice): Mitigating a Crisis
First place, Web and Social Media > Videos for web > Special interest video: Borden Waste-Away: Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
First place, Web and Social Media > Social Media Campaign > Nonprofit, government or educational: EDC’s Home in Wayne Social Campaign
First place, Web and Social Media > Website edited or managed by Entrant > Nonprofit, government or educational: World of Learning Institute
First place, Speeches > Speech: “Too Nice to Lead”: Passive Barriers to Leadership
Second place, Writing > Headlines: A Survival Guide to Holiday Greeting Cards
Second place, Writing > Columns > Informational (how-to, Q&A, advice): Building Raving Fans
Second place, Web and Social Media > Videos for web > Special interest video: Borden Waste-Away: Amazon & Recycling – What You Need to Know
Second place, Web and Social Media > Electronic newsletter > Non-profit, government, or educational: Elevate ECI Newsletter
Second place, Web and Social Media > Social Media Campaign > Corporate or for-profit: Borden Waste-Away’s Trash Cancer Campaign
Third place, Writing > Columns > Informational (how-to, Q&A, advice): Branding
Third place, Web and Social Media > Videos for web > Special interest video: Borden Waste-Away: Recycling Issues & What You Can Do
Honorable mention, Web and Social Media > Videos for web > Special interest video: Borden Waste-Away: Sharps Disposal
Julie Slaymaker
Second place, Writing > Personality profile > More than 500 words: Stephanie Salter bio
Carol Ver Wiebe
Second place, Editing for Print or Online Publications > Publications regularly edited by entrant > Newspaper: Meadowood Anthology
Honeycomb Award
With the most points for her entries, Jessica Shrout is our Honeycomb winner.
