Ashburn Magazine received the top award for specialty publications in the state from the Virginia Press Association earlier this month.
The magazine and its staff members also received 23 individual awards and two Best-in-Show honors for editorial and advertising work published in 2024. The awards were presented at the VPA’s annual conference in Richmond on April 12.
This was the second year in a row that Ashburn Magazine claimed the Grand Sweepstakes prize in its category, which includes publications such as Virginia Business Magazine, Richmond Magazine and the Washington Business Journal. The sweepstakes prizes are awarded based on points earned for winning awards in individual categories.
Ashburn Magazine also received the sweepstakes prize for earning the most points in advertising categories.
Editor Chris Wadsworth and writer Larry Lichtenauer received the Best in Show Award for writing among specialty publications for their profile of Dr. Robert Green, a Civil Rights leader who lives in Ashburn. The article, “On the Front Line of Change,” was the cover story of the November/December issue.
The judge wrote about the article, “An amazing story and a beautiful piece. Well done. I loved reading this so much!”
And advertising director Connie Fields and the magazine’s creative staff won Best in Show for advertising for an ad created for the Russian School of Mathematics. “Excellent use of color,” the judge wrote.
The magazine earned 10 first-place awards in individual categories, five for editorial content and five for advertising. They were:
- Feature Photo, Astri Wee, for a photograph of the owners of YumYum Hibachi
- Page Design, Kara Thorpe, for a selection of her layouts
- Arts Writing, Wadsworth, for his feature, “Coloring Within the Lines” about an Ashburn artist who has created drawings of local scenes.
- Public Affairs Writing, Wadsworth and Lichtenauer, for the article about Green
- Leisure, Lifestyle or Home Writing, Jill Devine, for her feature entitled “Big Creatures” about a dinosaur-themed park
- Entertainment advertising, Steve Dennen and the creative staff, for an ad for Club K9
- Education, Churches and Organizations advertising, Fields and the creative staff for the Russian School of Mathematics ad
- Home and Garden advertising, Judy Harbin and Nicky Marshok, for an ad created for Elegant Kitchen & Bath.
- Real Estate advertising, Fields and the creative staff, for an ad for Fay Sirimas
- Professional Services advertising, Harbin and Marshok, for an ad for Lans Family Dentistry
The eight second-place awards for the magazine were as follows:
- Pictorial Photo, Wee, for an illustrative photo of the Dulles Greenway
- Feature Writing Portfolio, Wadsworth, for a selection of his work
- Design and Presentation, the magazine’s staff for three selected issues from 2024
- Arts Writing, Devine, for a feature, “Uplifting Voices” about a local choral group for seniors
- Public Affairs Writing, Jonathan Hunley, for an article about the Dulles Greenway entitled “The Road We Love to Hate”
- Professional Services (medical and healthcare-related) Advertising, Harbin and Marshok for an ad for Be Healthy Nutrition Consulting
- Professional Services Advertising, Dennen and the Creative Staff for an ad for Durst Law
- Lifestyles advertising, Harbin and Marshok for an ad for Vineyard Voyages
The magazine’s five third-place awards were:
- Feature Photo, Wee, for a photo of the young man and the boy he helped rescue in “The Miracle at Snickers Gap”
- Arts Writing, Devine, for “Double Take,” about a tile mural on an apartment building.
- Front Page/Front Cover, Thorpe, Wee and Wadsworth for a selection of covers from 2024.
- Professional Services (medical and healthcare-related) Advertising, Dennen and Creative Staff for an ad for Premier Oral Surgery
- Professional Services, Harbin and Marshok for an ad for Purple Hamper
Ashburn Magazine’s sister publications also owned by Rappahannock Media LLC fared well in the contest too:
- The Rappahannock News, another weekly newspaper competing in a smaller circulation category, received 46 awards, including 20 first-place honors and the News Sweepstakes and Grand Sweepstakes honors in its category.
- InsideNoVa/Prince William, a weekly newspaper and associated website, won 26 individual awards.
- FauquierNow, a stand-alone website competing in the online category, received 12 awards, including five first-places.
- The Culpeper Times, a bi-weekly newspaper competing in the specialty publications category, received five awards.