The San Fernando Valley Business Journal won a Gold award for Best Newspaper as well as a Gold award for Best Overall Design at a recent nationwide journalism contest.
It was the fifth time in the last six years that the Business Journal was named, essentially, the best small business journal in the country. Likewise, it was the sixth time in the last eight years it won the top award for design.
The Business Journal won a third award, also a Gold, for Best Bylined Commentary for Charles Crumpley’s “One More Thing” opinion column.
“We’re honored to be recognized by our industry peers, and esteemed judges, for continuing to produce unique, quality content worthy of these national awards,” said Business Journal publisher Josh Schimmels. “We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to read Charlie’s (Crumpley) column regularly, which provides invaluable insights. I also want to thank our production team, led by Nina Bays, for their superb design, which contributes greatly to the overall reader experience.”
The awards were given June 11 by the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, the main professional organization of business journals and other city- and state-based business-news magazines and other publications. The annual contest is independently judged by professors at the University of Missouri’s school of journalism. Awards are given in Gold, Silver and Bronze.
In giving the Best Newspaper award to the business journal, the judges said, “An inspired mix of content and stellar design elevate this entry. Striking covers, design details, and an organized table of contents help with navigation and readability. Photography includes lots of faces and real people doing real things. Writing was solid and covers topics from entertainment to energy.”
For Best Overall Design, the judges wrote: “A top strip with lead package below, and three more stories down the side make a lively, very newsy cover format. Brighter paper delivers crisper, more dynamic photographic/image reproduction. Clean, lively design/layout/typography is aided by abundant breakout boxes …
“Throughout the pages there is lively design with lots of well-displayed images. Particular attention is devoted to lead stories,”
And for the “One More Thing” column, the judges wrote: “These columns favor clear logic and valid arguments supported by succinct writing,” the judges said, adding, they “display a knack for challenging conventional wisdom and offering potential implications of a decision or trend.”
It marked the fifth time in the last six years that the “One More Thing” column won the Gold. Crumpley, who last year was the editor and publisher of the Business Journal, is now the editor-in-chief of both the Los Angeles Business Journal and the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.
In the contest, newspapers compete against each other in large, medium and small categories. The Valley business journal is in the small category. Its sister publication, the Los Angeles Business Journal, competes in the large category.
The Los Angeles Business Journal won the Silver award for Best Newspaper, the Gold award for Best Overall Design, and the Silver award for Best Ancillary Publication, the Wealthiest Angelenos issue.