Veteran Gazette photographer April Bartlett earned a first-place industry award this week, taking home honours for best photojournalism from the Local Media Association (formerly the Suburban Newspapers of America). The industry association includes more than 2,000 suburban and community newspapers throughout North America.
Bartlett, a Gazette mainstay since 1993, won for a collection of photos taken during the 2011 Rainmaker Rodeo in St. Albert. That piece of work also won a first place award last month from the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association (AWNA).
Bartlett said the two-page layout was probably the best she’s produced during her lengthy career. She said the Gazette’s layout personnel deserve credit for arranging her photos into an attractive package.
“Personally, I felt it was a strong photo page to submit [for awards],” she said.
The Rainmaker Rodeo is an event that the Gazette’s two-person photo staff spends many hours covering every year.
“It’s always exciting to cover. You never know what’s going to happen,” Bartlett said. “Last year I was up on a lift, so I was able to try some different positioning.”
Another photo spread by Bartlett took a third place finish last month from the AWNA, as did her submissions in the news and feature categories.
This week, the Local Media Association also recognized Bartlett with a second place finish in the category for best news photo and third place in the feature photo category.
“It’s always an honour to be recognized for work you do on a daily basis,” Bartlett said.
Other Gazette staffers to receive mention include science and environment reporter Kevin Ma, who took a second place nod in the best feature category for his Feb. 2, 2011 story about university engineers careening downhill on sleds made of concrete.
The Gazette’s 2010 municipal election coverage earned a third place finish in the category for best local election coverage.
