September 2017 Cover
The Parenting Media Association recently held its annual conference and awards ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida. Memphis Parent took home several top honors for its coverage of news and feature reporting, along with award-winning illustration, photography, typography, design, and social media.
Below are the categories and awards Memphis Parent and its staff members received along with the judges’ comments. Congratulations to an awesome team!
News Feature
Gold: Memphis Parent; “A Medical Miracle in Memphis” by Michelle McKissack
This story has it all: emotion, experts, a little bit of drama. The author’s prose is crisp and moves the audience through the story quickly, not getting bogged down in details that might derail the story.
General Feature Writing
Gold: Memphis Parent; “Latino Memphis Provides Shelter” by Stephanie Painter
Kudos for daring to tell the story of those who fear they or their loved ones could be deported at any moment. In-depth interviews capture the depth of anxiety and detail practical steps needed to help families prepare logistically. The level of detail astounds and helps create empathy for those whose lives may be uprooted.
Front Cover: Illustration
Gold: Memphis Parent; “MP Sept 2017”; Bryan Rollins
This feels like a truly modern illustration in every sense. Its slick style is evocative of something you’d expect from a modern animation studio. In fact, it even feels animated. The character’s dynamic position is fun, playful, and well-composed. Add to that the gorgeous color palette and well-integrated typographic elements, and you have an overall composition that works well.
Interior Photography (Original)
Bronze: Memphis Parent; “November 2017”; Bryan Rollins, Alexandra Robinson
This toy guide brings together photographs, text, and graphics to educate families about alternative holiday gifts. Design ties it together, moving the reader through the products. Colorful backgrounds add interest.
Feature Layout
Silver: Memphis Parent; “Sporting Dads”; Bryan Rollins, Larry Kuzniewski, Frank Murtaugh, Michelle McKissack
The introduction to the feature is a nice mix of well-handled photography, typographic design, color, and composition. Page 1 adds up to an adorable, heartwarming layout that sets the feature up nicely. The rest of the piece features equally well typeset body copy, nice use of whitespace, and well-handled pull-quote elements.
Best Use of Social Media
Gold: Memphis Parent; Michelle McKissack, Bryan Rollins
This publication has made a creative use of Facebook Live to give the audience an active voice in its coverage of everything from large-scale events, such as the August 2017 solar eclipse, to one-on-one interviews with experts and newsmakers. An examination of Memphis Parent’s Facebook page shows that each live video stream has grown in audience and engagement, proving its audience has discovered them and sees great value in them.