Kansas Professional Communicators honors Journal-World staffers

Journal-World staff members received top awards Saturday during the Kansas Professional Communicators annual meeting in Wichita.

Ann Gardner, editorial page editor, was honored as the KPC Communicator of Achievement, an annual award recognizing professional achievement in communications, community service and contributions to the organization. She will be among 17 state affiliate nominees for the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Communicator of Achievement Award, which will be announced at the national convention Sept. 8-10 in Seattle.

Arts Editor Mindie Paget received the sweepstakes award in the 2005 KPC Communications Contest. The award goes to the person who accumulates the most overall placings in the state contest. Paget received first-place awards for daily news reporting, special series, personality profiles, arts and entertainment, historical writing, lifestyle/entertainment pages, frequent sections edited by the entrant, infrequent sections edited by the entrant, daily page layout and headline writing. All first-place entries will compete in the NFPW communications contest.

She earned second-place honors in categories for feature writing, health reporting, lifestyle/entertainment pages and frequent sections edited by the entrant. She also placed third in arts and entertainment writing, and received honorable mentions in home writing, reviews and page layout.

Other Journal-World staff members also earned contest awards. Gardner received second place and honorable mention for daily newspaper editorials and second place for personality profiles. Staff writer Jim Baker placed first and second for food writing and received first place and honorable mention for religion writing. Entertainment Editor Jon Niccum earned second place in arts and entertainment writing, and honorable mention in reviews.

Two other area residents also earned contest awards. Carol Frances, a Lawrence freelance writer, received honorable mention for speeches and first-place for a nonfiction book. Mary Pierpoint, a freelance writer from Overbrook who has written for the Journal-World, received first place honors for general news reporting and editorials in a nondaily publication, second place for a special series and a feature photo for a nondaily publication, and honorable mentions for investigative reporting, feature writing and sports and leisure writing.

Kansas Professional Communicators, formerly Kansas Press Women, is a statewide organization for women and men in a broad range of communications fields including newspapers, public relations, advertising, freelancers and journalism teachers.