Readers of Sydneyanglicans.net are among the big winners after Anglican Media Sydney picked up a record seven awards at the 2010 Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) awards held in Hobart over the weekend.
After taking out Gold at this year's awards, Sydneyanglicans.net has now won the Best Website category five times out of the past seven years.
Managing Editor Jeremy Halcrow also won in the Best Feature (Single Author) category for "Rudd's big splash misses tough target"
His investigation of the impact of the GFC on the church communities near the Port Kembla steelworks was published in the June 2009 edition of Southern Cross.
It is the third time Mr Halcrow has won the Best Feature award, since rejoining the publication five years ago.
After accepting the award, he said he was "greatly encouraged by the recognition given by the judges" which included top journalists from the mainstream media.
"It is one indication that we are continuing to serve Sydney Anglican churches with top quality communication," he said. "I’m heartened that Anglican Media Sydney has been able to maintain our high standards over the past 12 months despite our staff cutbacks."
ARPA has over 180 member organisations across Australia and New Zealand, representing all the major Christian denominations.
The other winners of multiple gold awards this year were The Melbourne Anglican (most humorous item, best theological reflection, best editorial), Wesley Mission's Impact magazine (best press release, best headline) and the Queensland Uniting Church’s Journey magazine (most original item, best feature with multiple authors).
The Gutenberg Award for excellence in religious journalism went to New Zealand's independent Catholic publication Tui Motu. The citation particularly mentioned the publication's willingness to investigate issues of justice even within Catholic Church.
