The ACPA conference saw over 50 Catholic media and communications professionals in attendance from across Australasia.

This year's conference was built on the theme 'Speaking with the Heart: The Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15)', borrowing from Pope Francis' 2023 World Communications Day message.

Francis' message encourages Catholic media professionals to communicate with an "open heart and arms." The conference set out to enable participants to listen, speak and communicate creatively while suggesting rather than imposing their views.

New Zealanders received multiple commendations at the awards ceremony. Among them,

• Michael Otto, editor NZ Catholic, Auckland - Highly Commended in the Best Editorial Column/Blog (Pictured left)
• Anne Rose, designer, NZ Catholic, Auckland - Highly Commended Best Layout and Design, Print (Pictured middle)
• Annette Scullion, editor, WelCom, Wellington - Best Layout and Design, Print (Pictured right)
• Tui Motu magazine, Dunedin - Winner in the Best Front Page
• Geremy Hema, Tui Motu magazine, Dunedin - Winner Best Content Ecumenical and Interfaith
• Lisa Beech, The Nathaniel Report, Wellington - Winner, Best Content; Faith Formation

However the top honour, the Bishop Kennedy Award for Overall Excellence, went to the Archdiocese of Hobart's publication, The Catholic Standard.

The 12-page monthly newspaper earned glowing comments from the judges who said "The Catholic Standard eminently reflects the uniqueness and richness of the Catholic community of Australia's only island state."

The paper was applauded for its balanced coverage of local, national and international news, commentary and feature stories.

Other notable ACPA award mentions include CathNews Australia's Neil Helmore, who was awarded for the best use of digital media for his Australian Plenary Council video highlights for CathNews Australia, the Diocese of Parramatta's Catholic Outlook magazine named the 'most improved publication,' and Melbourne Catholic won for best online layout and design.

Founded in 1955, ACPA aims to foster professionalism and cooperation among Catholic press members and other religious media outlets.

The organisation strives to advance religious media's development, coverage and relevance in contemporary society.

Sources

• Supplied
• ACPA
• Catholic Outlook

The APCA awards are an opportunity for Catholic media to celebrate the outstanding contribution organisations make to the Church in Australia.

ACPA President Neil Helmore said, "Catholic media in Australia continues to strive to lift up the Church and celebrate the diversity and mission through dedicated and talented journalists, photographers and designers that make up the Catholic Press."

NZ Catholic editor Dr Michael Otto said the recognition at both the ACPA and ARPA awards shows the consistent and ongoing quality of NZ Catholic's writing, design and production.

"We were recognised as the publication of the year by ARPA last year, and these awards show the continuing high regard of our peers in Christian and Catholic media for NZ Catholic," Dr Otto said.

NZ Catholic received the awards for:

• Best Feature Content - Multiple Content Producers
• Best News Content - Multiple Content Producers
• Best Content - Climate and Environment (runner up)

The Best News Content reported on the resignation of Charles Drennan, the former Bishop of Palmerston North in 2019. The judge's noted that the coverage was sensitive and comprehensive, while also demonstrating balance and courage.

The Best Feature Content covered the episcopal ordination of Michael Gielen last year. The judge's comment praised the broad range of articles and photos that captured the occasion's joy and significance.

The Best Content was for an article by Southland correspondent Peter Owens about an "urban forest" in Lumsden.

NZ Catholic also received two awards at the Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) awards. These awards recognise publications from many different denominations.

The ARPA awards recognised NZ Catholic's ongoing coverage of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rowena Orejana's article on the pandemic and conspiracy theories gained a silver award for Best News Story.

A front-page by Anne Rose won a gold award for Best Cover Newspaper. The headline was "light in the darkness" over a photo of a silhouette of Pope Francis holding a candle at the Easter vigil Mass at St Peter's Basilica last year.

Other New Zealand publications to received ARPA awards were: Kete Korero (Hamilton):

• Bronze award - Best Regional Publication (Kete Korero, Hamilton)
• Silver award - Best Original Photography (Kete Korero, Hamilton)
• Bronze award - Best Feature, Multiple Authors (Tui Motu Interislands)

At the ACPA awards, Kete Korero also received runner up awards for its education coverage and artwork.

This year, the celebration was held via ZOOM after the ACPA Conference was cancelled for the second year due to COVID-19 state lockdowns.

Sources

• NZ Catholic
• Catholic Diocese of Wollongong

Father Kevin Head, editor of the Marist Messenger said he was delighted with the awards.

He was particularly pleased that the efforts of his small staff, working with few resources, had received some recognition.

The Awards the Marist Messenger received were:

The Best Print Magazine
Citation: Sometimes the best things come in small packages. So it is with the Marist Messenger.

This year the ‘magazine of Catholic spirituality' celebrates 90 years of publication, a truly wonderful achievement for the Marist Fathers in New Zealand.

The magazine is compact in format (and in administration and operation) but is packed with good reads - no admonitory preaching here, just inspiring spiritual reflections from laity and religious, including daily insights into the readings of the day, interesting Marist history, guidance from Pope Francis and short biographies of the month's saints.

The Messenger is both edifying and entertaining - with a jokes section guaranteed to raise your spirits with a laugh.

There's also a crossword.

Happy 90th birthday, Marist Messenger. Ad multos annos.

The Best original photograph
A cropped copy of the award-winning photograph appears above. Click here to view the original.

It was taken on Ash Wednesday by Jonathan Pierce at Challenge 2000 in Johnsonville, just north of Wellington.

Citation: "This photo beautifully displays the intersection between faith and culture in New Zealand, with a poignant moment captured on Ash Wednesday of the ashes being drawn in a cross on the forehead of a man, with two women on either side in the background."

"Using traditional photographic techniques such as the rule of thirds, exquisite details have been captured and sharp focussing communicates a message of hope, and also reverence for the moment."

The best headline
‘A Very Modern Model of a Marist Seminarian!'

Citation: Catchy and a bit of fun without being crass or taking away from the article, the best headline. "A Very Modern Model of a Marist Seminarian"

The citation said, "The loose alliteration cleverly adds to the rhythm of the headline without overpowering its attractiveness to the reader."

The NZ Catholic, Tui Motu and the Nathaniel Report also received awards.

Click here to read the full list of awards.

An article by Rowena Orejana featuring the Vatican astronomer's views on Jesus, Aliens and Faith won a gold award for Best Theological Article from ARPA. Continue reading

The citation for the award states: "This is the best local newspaper. It seeks to cover the activities of the district from a Catholic perspective and yet is accessible to those who are not part of the district, or of the Faith. However it needs to cover stories from all points of view. That said - the paper is engaging and gives a clear presentation of community views and how the Catholic community responds to local needs and issues."

There are two major ACPA Bishop Philip Kennedy Memorial Prizes. One for a Magazine, one for a Newspaper.

Wel-com has won the award for the Best Editorial.

The citation states that Cecily McNeil's editorial, "Living with the Least" which was published in February, "This well written, concise editorial made a claim about the treatment of workers in New Zealand under the John Key led government, backed it up with apt quotation, related this claim to a then current union-led Living Wage campaign, and applied the topic to Catholic social teaching as articulated in a 2010 NZ Catholic Bishops Conference statement, Working for Life.

"It integrated appropriately, some telling remarks from a couple of interestingly relevant union leaders.

"The editorial was bold enough to come to a strong conclusion underwritten by a clear moral purpose and designed unabashedly to influence its readership."

Other New Zealand Publications to receive awards were:

New Zealand Catholic
Highly Commended: Best Editoral Feature - Peter Grace

Marist Messenger
Highly Commended: Best Editorial - Brian O'Connell
Highly Commended: Best Feature Story - Brian O'Connell

Tui Motu
Winner: Best Article on Catechesis
Highly Commended: Best Original Photograph - Paul Sorrell
Highly Commended: Best Front Cover - Magazine - Donald Moorhead

Tui Motu and The Marist Messenger also each received an award from the Australiasian Religious Press Association, whose conference preceded the ACPA one.

Full list of Awards click here

Source

• Cathnews.com
• Image: Screenshot CathNews.com

Australian Catholics won the Bishop Philip Kennedy Memorial prize for Magazines and Electronic Publications. Tui Motu was Highly Commended.

The Southern Cross won the Bishop Philip Kennedy Memorial prize for the best newspaper. NZ Catholic was Highly commended.

The Conference was attended by 53 journalists who work in Catholic Media in Australia and New Zealand. On Thursday, the Archbishop of Wellington, Archbishop John Dew, celebrated the Conference Mass in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and later presented the 2012 Awards for Excellence.

The theme of this year's conference was "Voices from the Margins: How the Catholic press can speak for the disenfranchised and marginalised people."

The Keynote speaker was Dame Claudia Orange who spoke on the Treaty of Waitangi.

Other guest speakers were well-known columnist Rosemary McLeod and Kitty McKinley (Founder Youth Charity Challenge 2000) who spoke on Marginalised Youth and the Church.

Other awards received by New Zealand publications were

Marist Messenger

• Best: Editorial - Brian O'Connell
• Best: Article on Catechesis - Mervyn Duffy
• Best: Magazine Layout and Design - Glen McCullough

Tui Motu Interislands

• Best: Ecumenical /Inter-faith Story - Danny Kettoola
• Best: Editorial Feature -Various
• Highly Commended: Social Justice Coverage - Nicky Chapman
• Highly Commended: Devotional Article Applying Faith to Life - Anonymous

NZ Catholic

• Best: News Story - Michael Otto
• Highly Commended: Newspaper Layout and Design -Peter Grace, Anne Rose

The conference was held in Adelaide from 7 - 9 September 2011. Delegates enjoyed the opportunity to meet up with Catholic colleagues from around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to discuss issues that are of common interest.

Best Editorial
Publication: The Nathaniel Report
Author: John Kleinsman

Best Devotional Article: Applying Faith to Life
Publication: Marist Messenger
Author: Liz Pearce
Title: "The Christchurch Stations of the Cross"

Best Front Cover - Newspaper
Publication: NZ Catholic
Title: "Broken lives, broken hearts, broken buildings

Sandhurst Diocese's The Sandpiper, received the award for Best Newspaper and the award for best magazine went to the Kairos Catholic Journal.

Guest Speaker and Presenter at the Awards was General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC, CNZM, Chancellor Australian Catholic University.

Click here to see Full list of awards

The conference was held in Adelaide from 7 - 9 September 2011. Delegates enjoyed the opportunity to meet up with Catholic colleagues from around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to discuss issues that are of common interest.

Guest speakers throughout the three-day Conference included: Andrew Killey (kwp! Advertising); Chris Rann (Rann Communications); Matt Deighton (Messenger Newspapers); Paul Hamra (Solstice Media); Jenny Brinkworth (The Southern Cross); and Michael Mullins (Eureka Street).

Next year the conference will be held in Wellington New Zealand

Source:

• ACPA
• Image: Brian O'Connell