ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rhode Island Catholic and its Spanish language version, El Católico de Rhode Island, were honored on Friday, June 21, with a combined 19 awards by the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada during the organization’s annual Catholic Media Convention and Awards Banquet in St. Petersburg, Florida. The newspapers won a variety of awards for writing and photography, as well as advertising.
“I’m very proud that the staff of Rhode Island Catholic, and my colleague Silvio Cuellar, editor of El Catolico de Rhode Island, have once again been recognized on a national and international level for their many professional accomplishments by the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada,” said Rhode Island Catholic Executive Editor Rick Snizek. “Convention officials noted the contest was especially competitive, with more than 3,200 entries received this year. For Rhode Island Catholic to be honored with a General Excellence Award as one of the top Catholic newspapers in the United States and Canada is a firm testament to the strong leadership of our publisher, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, and the exceptional talent and dedication of our staff.”
Bishop Tobin took to Twitter to share his gratitude for the honors bestowed on the Diocese of Providence newspapers following the awards ceremony.
“Congrats to the outstanding staff of the ‘Catholic!’ A great newspaper!” he tweeted.
Silvio Cuellar, editor of El Católico de Rhode Island and coordinator of the Office of Hispanic Ministry said: “I am very grateful for the recognition that we get year after year. We work very hard, sometimes long evening hours to produce a quality product and cover as much as we can of our Spanish-speaking communities with limited resources.”
“I am also very happy for our collaborators Sarah Perin-Monterroso and Luis Peralta, our Assistant Editor Laura Kilgus, Executive Editor Rick Snizek, the Rhode Island Catholic staff and Bishop Tobin who share in this recognition and also for their support, we are blessed to have a wonderful and professional team.”
GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD: BEST NEWSPAPER
Second Place: Rhode Island Catholic, by Rick Snizek, Laura Kilgus, Richard Lafond, Sue Richard and Marie Zagorsky
Rhode Island Catholic makes good use of graphic elements to pull readers in, from pull quotes to front page rail teasers. They offer a good mix of local news and features, with particularly strong editorials.
BOOK AWARD: DIOCESAN DIRECTORY
Honorable Mention: Marie Zagorsky and Laura Kilgus
BEST AD COPYWRITING
Second Place: Shroud Encounter
Honorable Mention: Passion & Purpose — Richard Lafond and Laura Kilgus
BEST SINGLE AD ORIGINATING WITH THE PUBLICATION – BLACK AND WHITE
Honorable Mention: Christmas & New Year’s Day Mass Schedule at Saint John Paul II Parish — Richard Lafond and Laura Kilgus
BEST SINGLE AD ORIGINATING WITH PUBLICATION – ONLINE
Third Place: Father John V. Doyle School — Richard Lafond and Laura Kilgus
Nice layout and elements to stand out in the online clutter.
BEST AD CAMPAIGN ORIGINATING WITH THE PUBLICATION FOR ADVERTISER
Third Place: Aunt Carrie’s — Richard Lafond and Laura Kilgus
Clean inviting presentation with a bit of celebration.
Nice pictures of the food that go right at the viewer.
BEST REGULAR COLUMN BY BISHOP OR ARCHBISHOP
Honorable Mention: Without a Doubt— Bishop Thomas J. Tobin
BEST FEATURE WRITING – WEEKLY DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
Second Place: “Prayer Shawl Ministry Provides a Loving Embrace” — Rick Snizek
Nice feature that tells an interesting story backed up by details and quotes from multiple sources. Well done!
BEST PERSONALITY PROFILE – WEEKLY DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
Second Place: “Bishop Emeritus Louis E. Gelineau celebrates 90th birthday with friends at The Villa — Rick Snizek
The article writer made this article a winner. Careful detail and good quotes from many sources helped to make a lively subject even livelier. An example of the writer making the story.
BEST MULTIPLE PICTURE PACKAGE - SPORTS PHOTOGRAPY
Third Place: Sports Photography — Laura Kilgus and Rick Snizek
A few nice individual images in this mix.
EDITOR OF THE YEAR
Second Place: El Católico de Rhode Island — Silvio Cuellar
Silvio carefully provides a chance for readers to look at various important issues and his use of pictures to enhance stories is very effective.
BEST EDITORIAL PAGE
Second Place: La Condicion de Jerusalén; Estuve de Forastro y Me Acogiste; La Violencia Engendra Mas Violencia — Silvio Cuellar, Laura Kilgus, Azade Sarah Perin-Monterroso and Rick Snizek
The editorial pages offer a nice variety of topics of interest to the readership, efficiently and effectively displayed on the page.
BEST REGULAR COLUMN – GENERAL COMMENTARY - General Commentary
Second Place: Rincón de la Familia - Resolución: Mejorar la Salud Financiera Del Hogar; Cinco Ideas Para Una Buena Relación en el Hogar; Limitando el Uso de la Tecnología en Casa — Silvio Cuellar
Honorable Mention: La Importancia de Establecer un Presupuesto; Cómo Prepararse al Solicitar Beneficios Públicos; ¿Haz Tenido la Conversación? — Luis Peralta
BEST REGULAR COLUMN – BEST NEWS WRITING – NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL EVENT
Second Place: 550 Delegados de Nueva Inglaterra reunidos en Histórico Encuentro, Delegados Diocesanos al V Encuentro Comparten Experiencias y Esperanzas, El V Encuentro fue un Éxito, ¿Y Ahora Qué Sigue? — Silvio Cuellar
This column provided a strong summary for local members of the Providence church community who wanted to know more about the events and how attendees were impacted. The author used a good selectipn of quotations and anecdotes to provide support for claims.
BEST REGULAR COLUMN – SCRIPTURE AND SPIRITUAL LIFE
Honorable Mention: Momentos de Inspiración: Shhh! El Secreto Mejor Guardado de la Iglesia; Música de vida un testimonio de del poder de la Oración; Un Denominador Común — Azade Sara Perin - Monterroso
BEST REPORTING ON SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES – OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE
Honorable Mention: Keep the Heat On’ en Su Temporada Nœmero 13 Ayudando A Familias Necesitadas, Casa Emanuel House: Sirviendo a los más Necesitados en la Comunidad — Laura Kilgus and Lauren Clem
BEST COVERAGE ON THE SEXUAL ABUSE CRISIS
Third Place: Carta: Rhode Island no es Pensilvania, Invitación del Obispo Tobin, Profunda Vergüenza, Remordimiento y Arrepentimiento — Bishop Thomas J. Tobin and Kevin Obrien, director of Diocesan Office of Compliance.
This piece was strong because it recognized their own dark history while also trying to make clear to the community how they have addressed concerns in the past and taken steps to improve processes regarding sexual assault investigation and prevent it from happening.
