The Courier’s Vancouver Special project turned out to be a golden journey Saturday night at the Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards.
Vancouver Special, which over 14 months explored more than two dozen Vancouver neighbourhoods in print, photography, video and statistics, won the gold award in the website and online innovation category at the awards, held April 26 in Richmond.
Wrapping up in March, the project was the largest ever attempted by the Courier and involved the work of several dozen writers, photographers, graphic designers and support personnel.
In awarding the gold, the judge lauded the project as “a fantastic concept.”
The Courier also won silver for best newspaper in its circulation category, edged out for top spot by Kamloops This Week. The judge praised the Courier for “plenty of well-written, insightful articles and lots of community involvement.”
Reporter Mike Howell won silver for best feature article for his piece on the memorial service for Rick Hofs, a homeless man who died in a Marpole back alley. “The story lifted the shroud of anonymity from one death and gave the man’s life some scale,” wrote the judge.
Entertainment editor Michael Kissinger earned bronze in the environmental initiative category for his story about artist Julien Thomas’s efforts to spur community interaction with a Mount Pleasant traffic circle.
Longtime contributor Geoff Olson won bronze for best cartoonist for his take on public street art in Vancouver.
The Ma Murray awards, which honour the best in community journalism in B.C. and Yukon, follow on a successful showing for the Courier at the Canadian Community Newspaper Association awards.
The national association awarded Olson a gold for best cartoon for his “Energy Seductress,” a take on the political allure of the energy industry.
Reporter Naoibh O’Connor earned a bronze for best business story for her feature examining the Oakridge Centre redevelopment.
Vancouver Special rounded out the awards with a bronze for best multimedia feature.
— Barry Link
