Anglican Media Sydney has won five prizes – one gold, two silver and two bronze – in the 2013 Mailcare Australasian Religious Press Association awards, held in Melbourne last weekend.

The gold ARPA award was given to Anglican Media’s art director Stephen Mason for his striking cover design about depression for the September 2012 issue of Southern Cross. The judges wrote that of the 30 entries in the Best Cover category this one caused them “to do a double take”. They praised the courageous execution of the design – which made it appear as though someone had taken a black marker to a picture of a happy couple –adding that the cover “immediately encompassed the subject matter and the emotion involved [and] would be picked up at any news stand”.

The two silver awards were for Best Feature by a Single Author, given to David McIntyre for his July 2012 SC cover story about military chaplaincy; and to the senior minister of East Roseville, Michael Kellahan, for his review and observations about Alain de Botton’s book Religion for Atheists in the April 2012 edition.

In commenting on the de Botton story the judges observed that: “while it obviously and quite rightly has a bias, it does not dwell on the rights or wrongs of religion versus atheism”, adding that Michael Kellahan had not used the review “as a cudgel to champion the cause of religion, rather as a sensible and refreshingly gentle recommendation for those who might be troubled by any doubts”.

Scott Monk received a bronze award in the category of Best Social Justice Article for his June 2012 feature about voluntary euthanasia. Another bronze was awarded to Andrew Cameron – the director of Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living and chairman of the Diocese’s Social Issues Executive – for his humorous piece “The twelve days of stuff”, which was published in the Connect for Life magazine inside December 2012’s Southern Cross.

A special citation was also awarded to Ramon Williams, many of whose photos have appreared in Southern Cross and on sydneyanglicans.net over the years. Through his Worldwide Photos ministry – for which he makes no charge – and regular email updates, Mr Williams keeps many Christian media organisations (including Anglican Media) supplied with information and high-quality photographs.