San Diego, CA, welcomed American Horse Publications members to “America’s Finest City” and AHP recognized their “finest” in equine publishing media during the AHP “Hoofprints in the Sand” Seminar. The three-day conference held June 16-18 was jammed-packed with educational sessions and activities, but on Saturday evening, the winners in the AHP Annual Awards Competition took center stage.
Sixty-nine American Horse Publications members were named finalists in the 2011 AHP Annual Awards Contest for material published in and dated 2010. Participation in this year’s contest represented a record-breaking 118 AHP members and 839 entries, an increase of 57 over last year. Held since 1974, the AHP Annual Awards Contest provides members with an opportunity to be recognized for excellence in equine publishing as well as professional critiques for improvement.
Always an anticipated event, the awards presentations were held Saturday, June 18, 2011, during the AHP “Hoofprints in the Sand” Seminar in San Diego. The evening began with a reception co-sponsored by Dover Saddlery and Branch Smith Printing and was followed by the Awards Banquet sponsored by Publishers Press. Breyer Animal Creations sponsored the centerpieces, and one lucky attendee at each table took a Breyer “Under the Sea” model horse home. This year’s beach-themed banquet was enhanced by elegant scenic décor produced and sponsored by Red Pony Productions, LLC and If Your Horse Could Talk.
The coveted General Excellence Award is presented to publications who fulfill their statement of purpose and show excellence in editorial content and design. Honorable mention is presented in classes with over five entries. General Excellence in the Tabloid/Newspaper category went to Quarter Horse News, a biweekly tabloid covering the cutting, reining and reined cow horse industries published by Cowboy Publishing Group. Thoroughbred Times, a national newsweekly magazine of Thoroughbred racing, claimed honorable mention.
Winning General Excellence Association Magazine circulation under 15,000 for the third consecutive year was Trot Magazine, a national harness racing magazine published by Standardbred Canada. Covertside, The Magazine of Mounted Foxhunting, captured honorable mention.
The General Excellence Association Magazine circulation 15,000 and over class winner was The Cowboy Way, published by the Paragon Foundation. This was a third win for the quarterly publication celebrating the west. Honorable mention was awarded to Equestrian Magazine, an all-breed magazine devoted to competitive equestrians published by the United States Equestrian Federation.
In the category for General Excellence State or Regional Publication, any format, the top honors went to multiple-time winner, The Florida Horse, a monthly state horse magazine published by Florida Equine Publications. Honorable mention was awarded to Horsemen’s Yankee Pedlar, a regional all-breed, all-activity magazine published by MCC Magazines, LLC.
Topping the competition for the first time in General Excellence Self-Supported Magazine with circulation under 15,000 was The Canadian Sportsman, a harness racing trade magazine since 1870. Honorable mention went to The Chronicle of the Horse, a national/international sporthorse weekly published by Vistan Corporation.
Barrel Horse News, the largest barrel racing publication, published by Cowboy Publishing Group, won the General Excellence for Self-Supported Magazine with circulation 15,000 and over category. Honorable mention was equally earned by American Cowboy, a western lifestyle magazine, and Western Horseman Magazine, a national monthly all-breed magazine that is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
All winners in the General Excellence classes were eligible for the General Excellence Overall Publication award and were judged by a separate judge. The prestigious award was presented to Trot Magazine.
Member print publications achieving multiple honors in a variety of categories included Western Horseman with 10 awards; Barrel Horse News, The Canadian Sportsman, The Chronicle of the Horse, and The Florida Horse, with 9 awards; Quarter Horse News and Trot Magazine with 8 awards each; chronofhorse.com and NRHA Reiner with 7 awards each; American Cowboy and Thoroughbred Times with 6 awards; Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred with 5 awards; EQUUS, Ryan T. Bell, Today’s Horse Trader, The American Quarter Horse Journal, The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care and Western Horse UK with 4 awards each.
Corporate members who placed high in this year’s competition included Road to the Horse for winning the Corporate/Individual Advertisement class. Pfizer Animal Health placed second in the Corporate/Individual Advertisement class. Purina Mills – Land O’ Lakes Purina Feeds won the Equine-related Special Issue Publication class with their Purina® Ultium® Growth Training Manual.
Several Individual members, who include freelance writers, photographers and designers, entered their own work published in member print publications or web sites. Ryan T. Bell wrote four award-winning articles published in Western Horseman earning him a first for “The Raven Within” and a second for “Joel Nelson: The Horses and the Words” in Personality Profile circulation over 20,000. “Up the Andes, Back in Time” placed second in the Freelance Writer Equine-related Journalism class. He also earned an honorable mention in Personal Column circulation 20,000 and over for his Backcountry Insight series. L. A. Pomeroy won first place in Freelance Writer Equine-related Journalism for “Angel Heart Farm: Where Dreams Come True” published in Modern Arabian Horse. Natalie DeFee Mendik won Horse Care circulation under 20,000 for “Probiotics, Prebiotics and Equine Health” published in Equine Journal. Lisa Kemp won Online Service to the Reader Article for her HERDA Awareness series published on TheHorse.com. Photographer Dusty Perin received honorable mention for her still photograph, “Tools of the Trade” published on the April cover of American Farriers Journal. Amy Katherine Dragoo earned honorable mention for her human animal bond photograph, “Pressure Point,” published on EquiSearch.com. In the Equine-related Book class, Stacy Pigott placed first with “The Rider’s Guide to Real Collection” and Vaughn Wilson placed second with “Tell Me About That Horse.”
Other AHP Individual members whose work was entered by an AHP member publication or web site and placed included Danvers Child, Emily Esterson, Michael Modecki, Audrey Pavia, Jeannie Blancq Putney, April Raine and Christy West.
The Electronic Media division recognizes the variety of digital media published online by members in 2010.
Equine-related Web Site members that received awards included PlayingWithLukas.com that won Online Equine-related Video for the documentary on Lukas. Blood-Horse.com received a first in Online News Reporting: News Breaking Story, a second place in Online Equine-related Blog, and a second in Equine-related Web Site. Chronofhorse.com achieved seven honors with wins in Online News Reporting: News Breaking Story and Online Equine-related Web Site, second place in Online News Reporting: Related Feature Story and Online Service to the Reader Article, third place in Online News Reporting: News Breaking Story and Online Equine-related Blog, and an honorable mention in Online Equine-related Blog. Ker.com took first and second place with their online newsletters, Equine Review and The Weekly Feed. SureBetRacingNews.com won the Online News Reporting: Related Feature Story titled “Mark Villa – Remembering a Winner.” TheHorse.com earned a second and honorable mention for their blogs on “Smart Horse Keeping” and “Horse Sense (and Sensibility).” Placing second with their video series, “Day in the Life: Tim Tetrick” was USTrotting.com. HorseLink Magazine won the Digital Publication class.
The Merial Human-Animal Bond Award was presented for the tenth year to the article that best reflected and promoted the strengthening of the relationship between horses and people. AHP members were allowed to submit only one entry in this class. The winner of the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award is the author of the article and received a special engraved trophy presented by Merial. The member publication, in which the article was published, received an engraved plaque. The winner was Breanne Hill, for her article, “Charmayne James and Gills Bay Boy” which was published in Barrel Horse News.
New for 2011, the Alltech A+ Equine Journalism Award sponsored by Alltech is presented to the author of one article written by an AHP member that focuses on increasing awareness and love of equestrian sport to mainstream readers. Articles may have been published in print or online in an AHP member or non-member print publication, digital publication and/or web site dated 2010. The Alltech A+ Equine Journalism Award Winner is the author of the article, who received a special engraved award and a free registration/travel certificate to the Alltech annual Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium in May, provided and presented by Alltech.
The AHP Annual Awards Contest provides members with an opportunity to be recognized for excellence in equine publishing , print and electronic, as well as professional critiques for improvement. AHP Executive Director, Chris Brune, performed the duties of processing the entries with assistance from Judy Lincoln. Webmaster, Christy West, produced the PowerPoint awards presentation. Daniel K. Lew is the official photographer .
The Executive Director acquired this year’s slate of 23 professionals judges. The judges are rotated every year and given classes to judge in which they have professional expertise. The 2011 Awards Program is attached as a PDF file and will be available online as digital edition courtesy of Publishers Press. The Awards PowerPoint Presentation will also be soon posted online
The Awards Committee reviews the contest rules and procedures annually for improvement, clarity, fairness, and variety. Rules for the 2012 Annual Awards Contest for material published in and dated 2011 will be available to members in early January.