The Oak Bay News is proud to be a finalist in three categories in the 2017 Ma Murray Newspaper Awards.
Hosted by the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspaper Association, the annual awards recognize excellence in multiple categories, including writing, photography and advertising.
For the second consecutive year, the Oak Bay News is a finalist in the general excellence category, competing with Alaska Highway News, serving Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Fort Nelson and surrounding area, and Whistler’s Pique Newsmagazine.
Oak Bay News journalist Christine van Reeuwyk is also a finalist in the News Feature Photo category, for a powerful image taken during the annual head-shave event for Oak Bay High’s Cops for Cancer fundraising drive. The image shows the reaction of two girls, as one shares her phone with the other for a photo and first look after losing their locks.
“Selecting one image as animated high schoolers get their heads shaved can be a challenge. This one showed an interaction, which I think is different for a head-shave shot,” van Reeuwyk said of the photo.
Oak Bay News is also a finalist in the Photo Essay Award category, for our coverage of the Royal visit last fall.
With page design by van Reeuwyk, who contributed photos along with Black Press journalists Arnold Lim, Don Descoteau and Carlie Connolly, the feature highlighted both the visiting Royal family and locals’ reaction to them.
“Our Oak Bay News team works hard every week to bring the community an engaging, informative newspaper that shares stories that matter with our readers and we are thrilled to again earn the recognition of our industry peers,” said publisher Janet Gairdner.
The Ma Murray’s are named for legendary B.C. newspaperwoman Margaret “Ma” Murray, longtime editor of the Bridge-River Lillooet News who later published the Alaska Highway News. She died in 1982 at the age of 94.
Winners will be announced in at the Ma Murray Awards Gala on Saturday, April 29 in Richmond.