2005 CWA COMMUNICATIONS CONTEST
The regular category entries below were scored independently by three CWA member judges who had no knowledge of who else shared their judging assignments. Each judge awarded points on a scale of 1-100, and forwarded the results to the Contest Chair. The three scores were then averaged by the Contest Chair to calculate the Certificate of Excellence winners and Muse MedallionTM recipients. There were more than 400 entries in this year's contest in both the regular and Special Awards.
I. Magazines
II. Newspapers
III. Newsletters
IV. Miscellaneous
V. Books
VI. Non-Print Media
VII. Graphic Arts
Entries must reflect a certain standard of excellence to be mentioned as a finalist. The Certificate of Excellence citations below indicate the entry received an average score of 90 points or higher. Muse Medallions will be awarded in each category at the annual awards conference in San Mateo, CA in November. Recipients of the Muse MedallionTM (shown right) scored highest in this outstanding field of excellence and were announced at the 2005 annual conference.
Magazine, National Circulation
Susan Logan "Cat Fancy" Bowtie Press
Judges comments: "Provides a good mix of excellent information and entertainment. The clean design and excellent artwork make it a pleasure to read."
Magazine Article - Health and General Care
Arnold Plotnick "The Renal Deal" - Cat Fancy
Judges commetns: "This veterinarian shares medical information in a way that is easily understood by cat owners and brought to life by stories about his own patients."
Magazine Article - Behavior
Brad Kollus "Born to Love" - Cat Fancy
Judges comments: "A refreshing article written in a sensible and compassionate style."
Magazine Article - Breed Profile
J. Anne Helgren "Purring Pixies" - Cat Fancy
Judges comments: "I really enjoyed reading the work and liked the fact that it dispelled the myths about this breed."
Magazine Article - Any Other Topic
Laurie MacDougall "Rocky's Bumpy Road" - Our Animals
Judges comments: "Interesting profile. This was a tricky category to judge because the overall quality of work submitted was excellent."
Magazine Column
Dusty Rainbolt "Dear Hobbes" - City & Country Pets
Judges comments: "Provides basic information in a humorous, conversational manner."
Newspaper Article
Kari Winters "Feline Infectious Peritonitis" - The Pet Press
Judges commetns: "Simple to understand without being condescending; an excellent first exposure to a complicated topic."
Newspaper Column
Steve Dale "My Pet World" - Tribune Media Services
The judges were speechless!
Newsletter - Breed Specific
Lynn Thompson "National Alliance of Burmese Breeders Newsletter" - National Alliance of Burmese Breeders
Judges commetns: "Extremely useful articles on everything from genetics to cattery history to humor."
Newsletter - Others, National Circulation
Arden Moore "Catnip" - Tufts University Media
Judges comments: "Simply outworks all others in terms of content and usefulness."
Newsletter - Others, Regional or Membership Circulation
Nancy Marano "Petroglyphs" - Petroglyphs
Judges commetns: "Well-written, well-researched and provides excellent in-depth coverage of issues affecting its readers."
Newsletter Article - Health and General Care
Susan Easterly "What to Expect as Your Cat Ages" - CatWatch
Judges commetns: "Left me feeling like I learned something new and useful in an easy-to-read fashion."
Newsletter Article - Other Topics
Nancy Peterson "Killing With Kindness" - Catnip
Judges comments: "Addresses an important issue in a factual, compassionate manner, citing information from a wide variety of professionals."
Newspaper Column
Nancy Marano "Cat Chat" - Petroglyphs
Judges comments: "She had an important message and an authoritative voice. I would want to read her columns again."
Short Story
Carole Nelson Douglas "Junior Partner in Crime" - Berkley Prime Crime
Judges comments: "A four-footed delight."
Poem or Book of Poetry
Betsy Stowe "A Dog's Life" - La Joie
Judges comments: "I loved the unique topic."
Humor
Darlene Arden "40 Tricks to Train Your Human" - Cat Fancy
Judges commetns: "It's very true!"
Long Special Publication
Neighborhood Cats "The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook" - Neighborhood Cats
Judges comments: "A great resource. So clear, extremely well-organized, so many practical tips from the experts."
Opinion Piece/Essay/Editorial
Debra J. White "Pets Saved by No-Kill Shelters Still Need Humane Treatment" - Arizona Republic
Judges commetns: "This piece stood out for actively tackling the opposing viewpoint and dismantling the arguments respectfully, piece by piece."
Fiction
Carole Nelson Douglas "Cat in an Orange Twist" - Forge Books
Shirley Rousseau Murphy "Cat Cross Their Graves" - HarperCollins
Judges commetns: "Masterfully written."
Children
Priscilla Maltbie and Pau Estrada "Picasso and Minou" - Charlesbridge
Judges comments: "A beautiful book that conveys a human's compassion for a cat and a cat's compassion for a human."
Care & Health
Sheila Webster Boneham "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning a Cat" - Alpha Books
Judges comments: "Excellent information, well presented."
Training & Behavior
Wendy Christensen "Outwitting Cats" - The Lyons Press
Judges comments: "This exhaustively researched book has something for everyone. She incorporates new research seamlessly into an engaging narrative."
Young Adult
Erin Hunter "Warriors/The New Prophecy: Midnight" - HarperCollins
Betty Sleep "Purrlock Holmes and the Case of the Vanishing Valuables" - Page Free Publishing
Judges comments: "Gave me a real sense of being part of it and the characters came to life for me."
Other
Mordecai Siegal, Editor "The Cat Fanciers' Association Complete Cat Book" - HarperCollins
Judges comments: "Stood paws and whiskers above the rest."
Video Production
Bryan Kortis and Emma Cobb "How to Perform a Mass Trapping" - Neighborhood Cats
Judges comments: "Presents information I have not seen anywhere else in an extremely clear, comprehensive and compelling way."
Radio Production
Steve Dale "The Pet Minute With Steve Dale"
Judges comments: "Conciseness is an art, demonstrated here in the voice of a master practitioner."
Online Magazine
Franny Syufy "Cats.About.com" - About.com
Judges comments: "Very well-research and well-written."
Online Article - Health and General Care
Kathryn Hopper "Inhaled Medication-Feline Asthma" - www.FritztheBrave.com
Single Online Article - Other Topics
Sandy Robins "Menagerie a Trois" - MSNBC.com
Judges comments: "Consistent, clear tone, great use of expert sources, focused and interesting. Bravo!"
Online Column
Kim Campbell Thornton "Creature Comforts" - MSNBC.com
Judges comments: She gave her readers enough information on the topics to be of use, but it wasn't overwhelming."
Single Photograph, black & white
Sandra Toney "Kittens Stand Up to Play" - Catnip
Judges comments: "This was so much fun!"
Single Photograph, color
Barbara Saunders "Nail Salon Skeptic" - Our Animals
Judges comments: "She captures the complex play of emotions in the cat's face-wariness, trepidation, and ultimately, trust, with the result being that the image is indelibly printed on the viewer's mind."
Photography Series, black & white
Dusty Rainbolt and Weems Hutto "Shoppin', Showin' and Staking Out the Litter Box" - Catnip
Judges comments: "The winning photos truly are pictures worth a thousand words."
Illustration
Drew Strouble "Pillow Talk" - CatManDrew
Judges comments: "It captures the essence of CAT."
Series of Illustrations
Drew Strouble "CatManDrew Note Cards" - CatManDrew
Judges comments: "I saw every cat I've ever had the privilege of knowing in these illustrations. Simply fantastic!"
Copyright ©1998-2009 Cat Writers' Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
Please respect the copyright of our writers and artists. Articles,
photographs and illustrations may not be downloaded and re-used
without the express written permission of the owner, artist or author.