The Vancouver Courier came away with a bevy of awards over the weekend at the annual Ma Murray Community News Media Awards, held at the River Rock Casino, April 28.
Presented by the B.C. & Yukon Community NewsMedia Association, the annual event awards the best and brightest in community journalism in the province.
Reporter John Kurucz won gold in Business Writing for his story on how local small businesses are dealing with the ever increasing cost of doing business in the city.
The judges said: “This story shows comprehensive reporting on a critical issue facing Vancouver small business. Told through a compelling narrative in the voices of business owners themselves. Opens up an important discussion about the need for change, offering up at least one possible solution in the mix.”
Reporter Mike Howell, editor Michael Kissinger and photographer Dan Toulgoet garnered gold in the Multimedia Feature Story category for “No fixed address” — Howell’s story on the growing number of Vancouverites living in RVs, cars and camper vans, is complemented with images and video by Toulgoet and Kissinger.
“No Fixed Address grabs readers by the hand and takes them inside the lives of a growing cohort of Vancouverites forced to live in their vehicles,” judges said. “This feature adds a face to the affordable housing crisis our city faces and through the use of mixed media, highlights the lack of resources available to vehicle dwellers and simultaneously raises awareness.”
Kurucz, Toulgoet and Kissinger got bronze in the same category for their efforts covering Vancouver’s second annual guitar festival.
Columnist Grant Lawrence won silver in Arts and Culture Writing for his piece on what sculptors Mary-Ann Liu and Paul Slipper are up to in their mysterious, post-apocalyptic-like workshop studio in Railtown.
Editor Michael Kissinger rounded out the Courier’s awards haul with two silvers for video. His piece highlighting the work of 82-year-old fibre artist Sola Fiedler came in second in the Feature Video Award category, while his video on the blooming of Uncle Fester, Bloedel Conservatory’s rare corpse flower, won second in Breaking News Video.
