“There’s a lot to like here,” the judges raved of our writing. “A unique and fun visual personality,” they decreed of our design. It’s a level of quality Metro Parent readers have come to love. And we were thrilled that the Parenting Media Association, a national trade organization of regional parenting magazines, agreed at its 2014 Editorial and Design Competition and General Excellence Awards.
Topping the list this year was a gold in “Overall Writing” – for the fifth year running – and silver for “Overall Design” and “General Excellence.” All told, Metro Parent brought home 13 awards at the 2014 PMA Annual Convention, held Feb. 28, 2015 in Baltimore. Other strong performers? Our comprehensive “Education 2014” special section, jam-packed “Calendar of Events,” gripping May cover photo and popular pregnancy/baby “Pink + Blue” ancillary.
We were up against other large-circulation publications in major metro cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas and Seattle, to name a few. A panel of judges, led by Professor Daryl Moen of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, cast the votes. Here’s the verdict.
Gold awards
Design
- Special Section: “Education 2014” was “absolutely top notch,” judges said. “The typography and color palette are sophisticated. The graphic elements and layers of type are informative and fun. This section would hold its own against magazines anywhere. Stellar job.”
Editorial
- Overall Writing: Judges scoured three of our 2014 issues. Their verdict: “There’s a lot to like here. From the warmly human features to the clearly explained recipes, the writing is consistently a pleasure to read. In a strong category, it was difficult to single out a winner. Metro Parent gets the gold because of its consistent excellence, front to back.”
- Ancillary Overall Writing: Volume 3 of Pink + Blue rose to the top for “simple, direct advice with a reassuring voice for new and expectant mothers.”
Silver awards
Design
- Overall Design: Another trio of 2014 magazines got high artistic marks. “The overall design framework and typography project a unique and fun visual personality. Covers are well executed to grab attention. Individual page designs offer additional spark and some fun surprises like the quirky Summer Camp opening page. Excellent calendar design with nice opening pages and color-coded icons.”
- Front Cover, Original Photo: Our May 2014 “Screen Fiend” image, shot by Lauren Jeziorski, really struck a sinister chord – in a good way. “The photograph is frightening and will surely attract attention.”
Editorial
- Calendar of Events: “It’s carefully (and lovingly) curated” judges said of our “Out & About” roundup, with the “Plan Ahead” section also getting a high five.
- General Feature: “Unplug Challenge” by Wensdy Von Buskirk chronicled three local families who volunteered to give up digital devices for a week. “The article is compact, yet covers a number of issues; it is tightly written, yet full of common sense.”
- Special Section: “Education 2014” was a winner again, earning props for covering a wide range of issues: “Every story seems fresh and enlightening.”
- Ancillary Feature Writing: “Mentoring Young Black Men,” written by Aaron Foley for our Education Detroit ancillary, got accolades for its “context, details and human interest stories.”
Both
- Ancillary General Excellence: Pink + Blue, Volume 3, was deemed a “beautiful publication” that “shows the diversity of the area with a very strong sense of place.”
- General Excellence: “Well-organized consistent design, emphasis on tips. Love the simple science tips, strong calendars. Parent profiles are not your average articles.”
Bronze awards
Design
- Feature Layout: The “Holiday ‘It’ List 2013”, designed by Kelly Buren, earned praise for its roadmap feel, dubbed “eye catching and creative.”
Editorial
- Service Feature: “Left Behind” by Jacquie Goetz Bluethmann “provides useful information on what parents can do to help their younger child cope with an older sibling moving out.” Incidentally, judges said this was one of the two “most popular categories, in terms of number of entries.”
It’s all for you
Awards are exciting. But everything we write and design is for you, our readers! We value your opinion most of all. Please share it with us – we value positive and negative feedback – at the Metro Parent Facebook page. Thanks for making Metro Parent the successful parenting resource it is.
