Certificate of Merit:

Magazine: “Barton Today”
Editor: Colin Suter  (see picture)

For excellence in producing a very professional looking and well-funded publication that provides a standard to which all non-professional editors might aspire.

(This magazine fell outside of the ACE definition of a “Church Magazine” and so did not qualify for our main Awards.)

The ACE Awards Scheme 2009 was judged by a panel of experienced church magazine editors, all  of whom know how challenging it can be to publish and distribute a regular magazine with only modest resources. The judging process took over 60 man-hours of focused effort. The overall standard of entries was very high indeed, and we noted an encouraging trend in terms of the apparent increase in quality of church magazines in recent years.

Despite our best efforts to examine the primary criteria that we believe are those which help to define a very successful Christian publication, it became clear to us during the judging process that future ACE Award Schemes will need to include a greater number of sub-categories, especially to take into account the vastly differing financial and other resources available to different church editors up and down the country.

We will be very happy to receive comments and suggestions as to how this might best be structured in future, so that all entrants feel that their ‘babies’ are being fairly judged. By the same token, please bear in mind that all ACE committee members are volunteers, giving their time freely (alongside the task of producing their own magazines), so we cannot end up with dozens of categories please!

The Worthy Winners

Cover Design: Commended

Magazine: “Beverley Minster
                  Parish Magazine”
Editor: Mervyn King  (see picture)

For the striking use of high-impact images with an attractive masthead, producing a very powerful front cover.

Cover Design: Commended

Magazine: “Wylye Valley             
                  Parish News”
Editor:  Rev. Anne Bennett-Shaw

For a clear and straight forward cover design with an attractive masthead, and the use of black plus one single colour (rather than full colour, which is considerably more expensive).

Cover Design: Commended

Magazine: “Meopham Review”
Editors: Peter Kettle & Lou Eves

For good use of a bold graphic design, coupled with an eye-catching and creative masthead that wrapped around two margins to frame the image used each month. (We particularly liked the painting used on the January 2009 edition.)

Cover Design: WINNER

Magazine: “Trident”
Eynsford, Farningham & Lullingstone
Editor:  Margret Newbold

For good use of bright and bold local images, coupled with a strong masthead created by a distinctive typeface set against the pale skyline of the cover image, so as to heighten its visual impact.