Contact: Carrie Wattu, editor
508-865-7070/editor@baystateparent.com
Arlington, Virginia (Sat., March 5, 2011): baystateparent received 17 honors from Parenting Publications of America after competing in editorial and design with regional parenting publications across the country in its circulation (30,001 to 54,999). Competitors include
Nashville Parent,
Maryland Family and
Carolina Parent.
A listing of baystateparent's awards are below. Congratulations to baystateparent's contributing writers and photographers for this achievement!
For more information, please see
http://www.parentingpublications.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ShowPage&PageID=55.
Editor's Note: The honors from the Parenting Publications of America follow baystateparent's 8 New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) awards, given on February 12th, 2011, Boston. Five of the awards were first-place honors, including
General Excellence in Advertising.
10 DESIGN AWARDS
FRONT COVER/NEWSPRINT/ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Silver: Bay State Parent, "August issue, fashion fables," Paula Monette Ethier, creative director; Allison Cottrill, photographer; Carrie Wattu, editor
This nostalgic photograph looks like a renaissance painting. The muted purple and green allows the girl's face and hair to attract the most attention. The hair and makeup are wonderful. This is a dreamy photograph.
Gold: Bay State Parent, "March issue, baby gaga," Paula Monette Ethier, creative director; Paula Swift, photographer; Carrie Wattu, editor
The nuances make this cover a winner. The curved pinkie, the lip being chewed, the closed eyes, and the curved tail of the hat make for a perfect photograph. The subtle splash of color helps distinguish the lead story.
ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION
Gold: Bay State Parent, Gramma Dates, Jonathan Cumberland, illustrator; Paula Monette Ethier, creative director
The excellent use of caricature in the artwork compliments the story of the fun that this grandmother has in taking her grandchildren on dates to create some one-on-one time. The colors against a black background add a 3D dimension to the move-house scene.
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY (Original )
Silver: Bay State Parent; “Fashion Fables,” Allison Cottrill, photographer; Paula Monette Ethier, creative director
Accessories make the ensembles work. A neutral but busy (leafy) background force the photographer and creative director to devote extra energy and focus in on the children’s positioning and the colors in the clothing. The contrasting colors and attention to detail pay off.
Gold: Bay State Parent; “Fashion Forward,” Allison Cottrill, photographer; Paula Monette Ethier, creative director
The seemingly simple touch of replacing plain white backdrops with black-and-white background drawings make all the difference between a stock shoot and an interesting, vibrant fashion statement. Those black-and-white backgrounds have the added benefit of giving the fashion colors a little extra pop.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Silver: Bay State Parent, October 2010, Paula Monette Ethier, creative director; Carrie Wattu, editor
The strip across the top with photos and teases placed underneath draws the eye. The packaging of photo and tease makes it easy for readers and respects their time.
FEATURE LAYOUT (black and white)
Silver: Bay State Parent; Paula Monette Ethier, creative director
A restrained approach is the right one for this design, which addresses the difficult topic of infant death. The focus is where it should be, on the image.
Gold: Bay State Parent; Paula Monette Ethier, creative director, Steven King, photographer
In this spread about sugar, a clever photo illustration works beautifully with a focus on making the information accessible. Typographic contrast combines with a chart to highlight the most important facts, and the image makes the point clear at first glance.
OVERALL USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Gold: Bay State Parent, “December, June and October,” Paula Monette Ethier, creative director
This entry begins with solid covers that are designed and photographed beautifully. They use multiple images per story, and they send the photographers when action is occurring so that they can photograph real moments. This publication also includes excellent portraits, such as with the stories on breast cancer, Christmas fashion and boy’s fashion.
SPECIAL SECTION
Gold: Bay State Parent, “Think Pink,” Paula Monet Ethier, creative director; Carrie Wattu, editor.
An all-pink background for this special section on breast cancer immediately attracts attention. That pink background also blends nicely with cutout images of the women impacted by breast cancer, and in a few places it’s smartly relegated to the outer margins of the page to keep from being a nuisance. All in all, it serves multiple purposes, the most important of which is communicating relationships and theme effectively to the reader.
7 EDITORIAL AWARDS
HEADLINES
Bronze: Bay State Parent; Carrie Wattu, editor
“Nixing the Narcissism” and “Adventures in Groceryland” (August 2010) prove to be strong lead-ins to articles, and they both deliver the promise of the contents. Supplement headlines strengthen the main heads.
PROFILE
Bronze: Bay State Parent, “Breast cancer made me do it,” Bonnie O’Connor, writer; Carrie Wattu, editor, Portrait Simple, photographer
These are the stories of remarkable women who, far from being defeated by breast cancer, have been inspired by it to launch a variety of businesses or charitable activities. The understated writing lets the content shine through.
GENERAL FEATURE WRITING
Gold: Bay State Parent; “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep”; Bonnie Adams, writer; Carrie Wattu, editor
Photographing babies who have died had to be a daunting subject, but in the hands of a capable writer, it became a moving, compassionate story. “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” is an organization that offers infant bereavement photography at no cost. The story finds its heart in the words of the photographers, often parents themselves, who see their work as a gift to grieving families. The writer handled this delicate topic with extraordinary grace and sensitivity.
SPECIAL SERIES
Bronze: Bay State Parent, Carrie Wattu, Editor
Great concepts lead to great series, and the editors chose wisely here. The strong personalities on display shine through, making these great reads in turn. Wonderful use of local voices throughout.
SPECIAL SECTION
Bronze: Bay State Parent ; “Think Pink,” Carrie Wattu, editor; Lynn Jolicoeur, Maryellen Brisbois, Bonnie O’Connor, and Bonnie Toomey, writers
A valuable concept for a section – resources for women with breast cancer. The package covers the gamut of resources, from how to help those who are undergoing treatment to a reflection on how the color pink represents or doesn’t represent the cause.
Silver: Bay State Parent; “Very Special Families,” Carrie Wattu, editor; Trish Reske, Lynn Jolicoeur, Laura Richards and Christine F. Dellamonca, writers
This issue broadens the idea of special families to include ones where parents have special needs. Another great story idea explores how to interact with mothers of special needs children – a positive story for all readers.
OVERALL WRITING
Gold: Bay State Parent; Carrie Wattu, editor
There is a lot to like in these issues. “Who’s Coaching our Kids,” stands out in a solid group of features. The writing is enjoyable and compelling throughout. The cancer-themed “Think Pink” issue was both important and moving.
