NYMetroParents Wins 17 Awards at 2015 Parenting Media Association Banquet

NYMetroParents was recognized by the Parenting Media Association with 17 excellence awards at its 2015 Editorial and Design Awards Competition banquet in Baltimore. This is a record-high number of PMA Awards for NYMetroParents.

On Feb. 28, Parenting Media Association presented NYMetroParents, a division of Davler Media Group and the largest publisher of regional parenting publications on the East Coast, with 17 excellence awards at its 2014 Editorial and Design Awards Competition banquet, held in Baltimore.

The total is a record-high number of awards for NYMetroParents, which has set a new personal best each year for the past five years, winning eight PMA awards in 2010, 10 in 2011, 11 in 2012, 15 in 2013, and 16 last year.

NYMetroParents includes monthly titles Big Apple Parent, Brooklyn Parent, Fairfield Parent, Long Island Parent – Nassau edition, Long Island Parent – Suffolk edition, Queens Parent, Rockland Parent, Suffolk Parent, and Westchester Parent.

Parenting Media Association is a national trade association of regional parenting publications. PMA's annual Editorial and Design Awards Competition recognizes excellence in journalism, photography, and design achieved by publishers, editors, writers, and designers at parenting newspapers and magazines throughout the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

PMA gave out 301 Editorial and Design Competition and General Excellence awards to parenting newspapers and magazines at the banquet on Feb. 28, the climax of the three-day PMA Annual Convention in Baltimore, MD. There were 630 entries for this year’s competition. Professor Daryl Moen of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism coordinated the annual contest. A panel of judges reviewed entries from many publications to choose the winners in each category. All judges drew upon significant professional experience in selecting the winners.

"Many of the larger writing categories were the most competitive” Prof. Moen said. "The best across the board were as good, or better, than most years," he added. "The digital categories, as a group, continue to grow as more publications do more on their websites and with digital newsletters."

“The purpose of the PMA awards competition is to encourage a high level of journalistic performance and service to communities by recognizing editorial excellence and outstanding visual presentation in parenting publications,” said PMA executive director C. James Dowden.

NYMetroParents was proud to receive four Gold Awards. In the Editorial category, editorial director Dawn Roode took a Gold for Brooklyn Parent editor's note; contributing writer Jerry Mahoney of Westchester received a Gold for a personal essay; and a Gold was given to the two-part series 'Parents' Guide to Math and Science,' completed in partneship with insideschools.org. In the Ancillary category, editor at large Christina Vercelletto took a Gold Award for a feature in NYSpecialParent.

As in many years past, NYMetroParents was recognized for its superb calendar section, which features a comprehensive selection of low-cost, family-friendly events in the New York City area. This year, Fairfield Parent (edited by Karen Demeter) took a Silver Award and Westchester Parent (edited by Ellen Pocost) received a Bronze Award in Editorial, and Big Apple Parent (designed by Mayra Aguilar and Tony Diaz) received a Silver Award in Design.

Below is the full list of NYMetroParents' 2015 Awards, including comments from judges about why honors were given:

2015 Editorial Awards for NYMetroParents

SILVER: Calendar of Events 

Fairfield Parent
"This calendar obviously is a priority for the publication, providing a wide selection of curated content including long-running activities as well as one-time events. It’s easy to tell if the event is free or low cost. Photos and illustrations make it engaging, as well."

BRONZE: Calendar of Events
Westchester Parent
"Besides the usual attention to detail, this calendar allows parents a 'sneak peek' to the month ahead, for planning purposes. Overall, this calendar exemplifies a wide variety of daily and permanent ideas for an active family."

See our online calendar of events for the NYC area

GOLD: Column: Publisher’s/Editor’s Note
Brooklyn Parent
"Dawn Roode manages to tell her own parenting stories in a way that touches others and includes them. These are personal yet humble without an overload of 'I' statements. Her columns explore refreshing topics and then gently transition to specific articles within the issue."

SILVER: Briefs/Short Stuff: New Places, New Programs 
Fairfield Parent  
"This department presents readers with the latest from area businesses and programs. With every single blurb, the writers contacted sources and provided insightful quotes. Overall, there’s a depth to the information provided; these offerings go far beyond standard press-release fare."

Find New Places, New Programs here

BRONZE: Briefs/Short Stuff: Quotables
"The editor of this page must cull through hundreds of websites and spend hours on social media to pluck these selections for the readers. Great variety in content, fun tone and humor throughout and a wonderful way to connect with area parents and get them in the publication in an unusual way."

SILVER: Column: NYMP Q&A
"The creators of NYMP Q&A do a great job of finding experts and engaging them in meaningful conversations. Whether a parent is perplexed by social media or how to talk to children about money, the Q&A column offers readable insight."

SILVER: Column: Outings
"A feature on family-friend outings within a day’s drive is a fantastic feature. The selections, information and tips offered make this feature something readers will want to clip and save for future trips."

Find great places to go with your family here

BRONZE: Personal Essay
“The Garden Party” by Marcelle Soviero
"This essay has the emotional edge and descriptive power of a novel. A mother arranges a birthday party for her daughter, the first after a divorce. The sweet recollection of the party illustrates the difference between memories — hers, sad and painful; her daughter’s, happy and hopeful."