Finalists Shine in Print and Online in American Horse Publications 2015 Awards Competition
APRIL 23, 2015 – AHP members seem to get better and better. That was the general feeling expressed by many of the 27 professionals who judged the 2015 AHP Annual Awards Contest for material published in 2014. “The entries were very strong this year,” says the judge of the business advertising class. “The pieces submitted were extraordinary in the cover category,” says another long time judge. One of the photography class judges notes, “Some great photography again this year.” Of the new long form journalism class, the judge says, “The long form pieces were exceptional. Very, very strong entries. I was impressed with all of them.” Those comments speak volumes for the state of equine publishing. Every member who participated in this year’s competition should be very proud of their work regardless of whether they made the list of 72 finalists.
“The contest is much like a publication. While the overall mission and design remains the same, the content changes constantly,” says Awards Coordinator Chris Brune. “Entries can be submitted by long-time entrants or first-timers. It’s a fresh new start with lots of variables that reflect the equine world in one particular year. And there is always a few additions like this year’s long form journalism and infographic classes which represent the new ways in which members are communicating.”
Held since 1974, the AHP Annual Awards Contest provides members with an opportunity to be recognized for excellence in equine publishing. All entries are critiqued by the judges to encourage members to strive for journalism excellence. This year’s contest drew entries from 115 members and total entries increased from 736 in 2014 to 837. “We made several changes this year that may have encouraged more members to participate,” says Brune. In the past, print publications had to purchase a separate digital media membership to enter material published on their websites and in digital editions. In 2015, AHP eliminated the Digital Media member category and allowed all members to include one branded website with their parent membership. “This one change opened the door to whole world of possible entries for not only print publications, but also freelancers and businesses,” Brune says.
Another significant change was the development of the separate Business Member division. “The awards contest always included several classes for Business members,’ says Brune. This year, the contest classes were separated into two divisions, publishing media and business. “Business members who have never entered before participated. Based on this interest, the opportunity to expand this division the future looks promising,” says Brune.
Two coveted awards are the Valiant Human-Animal Bond Award presented by Adequan and the A+ Equine Journalism Award sponsored by Alltech. Members are limited to only one entry and the winner is the author. The Valiant Human-Animal Bond Award is presented for the article that best reflects and promotes the special relationship between human and horse. The Alltech A+ Equine Journalism Award is awarded for the best article that focuses on increasing awareness and love of equestrian sport to mainstream readers.
The Awards Presentation will be held on Saturday evening, June 20, 2014, at the historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, during the AHP “Tally-Ho at the Alamo” Seminar. The Awards Reception is co-sponsored by Dover Saddlery and i-5 Publishing. The Award Banquet is sponsored by Zoetis with table centerpieces from Breyer Animal Creations.
The entries of the finalists will be displayed on Saturday to provide attendees a chance to review them. Finalists will be notified of their entries that placed and requested to submit an image file for use in the awards presentation. Finalists are encouraged to attend the seminar and accept their awards in person. If a finalist is unable to attend the awards banquet, a representative may be designated to accept the award(s) on their behalf and must be willing to deliver all awards to the recipient.
The results of the Awards Contest will be available on the AHP web site after the awards presentation in June. First Place winners will be sent an AHP Award Winner logo to promote their achievement for the year 2014.
Congratulations to the following AHP members who are award finalists for 2015.
PUBLISHING MEDIA MEMBERS
America's Horse
Appaloosa Journal
Barrel Horse News
Blood-Horse
California Riding Magazine
CEH Horse Report
Chrome
Daily Racing Form
Driving Digest
EquiManagement
Equine Journal
Equinews
EQUUS
Gaitpost Magazine
Holistic Horse
Hoof Beats
Horse & Rider
Horse & Style Magazine
HorseChannel.com
Horse Illustrated
HRTV
InStride Edition
Keeneland Magazine
Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred
Miniature Horse World Magazine
Modern Arabian Horse
New York Horse
NRHA Reiner
Paint Horse Journal
PATH Intl. Strides
Pennsylvania Equestrian
Practical Horseman
Q-Racing Journal
Quarter Horse News
Sidelines Magazine
Speedhorse
Stable Management
The American Quarter Horse Journal
The Chronicle of the Horse
The Florida Horse
The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care
ThisisHorseRacing.com
Trail Blazer Magazine
Untacked
USDF Connection
Western Horseman
For further information on the awards contest, contact: Chris Brune at (386) 760-7743 or AHorsePubs@aol.com.
Members interested in attending the annual seminar or awards banquet in San Antonio can access information and register online at http://www.americanhorsepubs.org/programs/seminars/index.asp.
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American Horse Publications is a non-profit professional association dedicated to promoting excellence in equine media and better understanding and communication within the equine publishing industry. For more information, please contact: Chris Brune, American Horse Publications at ahorsepubs@aol.com or 386-760-7743 or visit the AHP Web site at www.americanhorsepubs.org.
