Adventist Review, Adventist World Collect Record 5 First-Place Awards

By Adventist Review staff

The Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines have received a record five first-place awards, including in the categories of “devotional” and “first-person account,” at an annual award ceremony for leading North American religious publications.

The two magazines, published by the General Conference, the administrative body of the Adventist world church, collected a total of 10 awards at the Associated Church Press weekend convention in Toronto.

Among the recipients of the first-place “Award of Excellence” were Gerald A. Klingbeil for “What Really Counts,” a devotional about lessons from the life of Jeremiah’s secretary Baruch, published in the November 2014 issue of
Adventist World; and Benjamin J. Baker for “The Last House,” a touching first-personal account about his first summer working as a literature evangelist, published in the Nov. 27, 2014, issue of Adventist Review.

Klingbeil is an associate editor of
Adventist Review and Adventist World, while Baker is an assistant archivist at the General Conference.

“This is, I believe, the first time we’ve ever received five top awards in one year, and the scope of the award field points to quality across the board,” said Bill Knott, editor of
Adventist Review and Adventist World.

He underscored that the mission of the two magazines was to engage and inspire believers around the globe.

“That means that we make our editorial decisions from our understanding of what will most help readers grow in faith and give them tools to share that faith,” Knott said.

“It’s certainly gratifying, however, when our peers in faith-based journalism across North America tells us that we are doing that job well,” he said. “I’m so proud of our whole team — and delighted that their skill has been recognized and celebrated.”

The Associated Church Press is a 99-year-old membership organization for religious periodicals in the United States and Canada. A panel of independent judges chose winners in 81 categories from more than 1,000 entries.

The full list of 10 awards received by the
Adventist Review and Adventist World are:

• Category: Reporting and Writing: Personal Experience/First-Person Account/Long Format: Magazine/Journal. Award of Excellence (first place): Adventist Review for “The Last House” by Benjamin J. Baker. Read the story here.

• Category: Theological: Devotional/Inspirational: Short Format: All Media. Award of Excellence (first place): Adventist World for “What Really Counts” by Gerald A. Klingbeil. Read the story here.

• Category: Reporting and Writing: News Story: Website/News Service/Blog. Award of Excellence (first place): Adventist Reviewfor “Video of Adventist Father Singing to Dying Son Goes Viral” by Andrew McChesney. Read the story here.

• Category: Online/New Media: Publication Website. Award of Excellence (first place): Adventist Review Online by Carlos Medley, web/online editor

• Category: Art/Design/Graphics: Magazine/Journal Design: Spread or Story. Award of Excellence (first place): Adventist Review for “My Heart Is Stirred by a Noble Theme” by Bryan Gray, designer. See the 16-page spread here (PDF).

• Category: General Excellence: Best in Class: Marketing: Public Relations/Marketing Campaign. Award of Merit (second place, tied): Adventist Review: Claude Richli, associate publisher and marketing director; Bryan Gray, designer. See four print ads here: one, two, three, and four (all PDFs).

• Category: General Excellence: Best in Class: Marketing: Public Relations/Marketing Campaign. Award of Merit (second place, tied):Adventist World: Claude Richli, marketing director; Bryan Gray, designer

• Category: Art/Design/Graphics: Single Photo With Article or Cutline: Magazine/Journal. Award of Merit (second place): Adventist World for “From Hell to Hope” by Noruc T. Tjeranson. See the photo and seven-page article here (PDF).

• Category: Reporting and Writing: News Story: Magazine. Honorable Mention (third place): Adventist World for “Adventists Urged to Study Women’s Ordination for Themselves” by Andrew McChesney. Read the story here.

• Category: Art/Design/Graphics: Magazine/Journal Design: Entire Issue. Honorable Mention (third place): Adventist World for “The Adventist Advantage” by Dever Design. See the cover of the issue (PDF).

Two other major Adventist publications also walked away with awards. Ministry, International Journal for Pastors, received seven awards in a variety of categories, and Canadian Adventist Messenger got an honorable mention in the category “First-Person Account: Short Format” for “I Am Not a Christian” by Stan Jensen, editor; Joan Tanasiychuk, art director; and Gaurika Sharma, writer.

Envision, an annual creative journal published by students and faculty of the Andrews University Communication department, also collected seven awards, including Awards of Excellence for Student Publications; Public Relations/Marketing: PR Video; and Art/Design/Graphics: Magazine Cover.