2012: ParentMap wins 11 PMA awards and earns Gold in General Website Excellence
ParentMap earned the high honor of the gold award in General Website Excellence within the Parenting Media Association industry! ParentMap earned a total of 11 awards for 2012:
General Excellence category:
Gold: Website General Excellence
Editorial categories:
Gold: Column — Child Development and Parenting Issues: "Ages and Stages 3-6: Five Phrases We Should Avoid; Ages and Stages 3-5: Boogeyman Begone!"
Silver: Column — Family Matters: "October and November"
Finalist: Interview — "Someone You Should Know: Jesse Gillman"
Design categories:
Gold: Feature Layout — "Superheroes for Washington Families"
Gold: Best Promotion — "Good Stuff"
Silver: Ancillary Cover — "LearningMap Multiple Math Methods"
Silver: Front Cover — Use of Stock Photo: "How Green Are We?"
Finalist: Front Cover — Illustration: "September 2012"
Digital categories:
Gold: Best Use of Multimedia — "Education Expo- Video/Webinar Series"
Silver: Best E-Newsletter
ParentMap wins 10 gold PPA awards; places 19 times as a finalist in various categories
We're pleased to announce that we won 10 gold awards at this year's Parenting Publications of America Convention, and that we placed as a finalist in 19 different categories!
10 gold awards won in the following categories:
Editorial Categories:
1. Briefs/Short Stuff - "October 2011" and "November 2011"
2. Column: Child Development and Parenting Issues - "Getting School Ready"
3. Investigative Reporting - "TV Nation: Viewing time hits new heights"
4. General Feature Writing - "War Changes People" - Linda Morgan
Design Categories:
5. Front Cover/Glossy: Original Illustration - "TV Nation" Alli Arnold
6. Feature Layout/Color - "101 Ways to Save Money Now!"
Ancillary Publications Categories:
7. Ancillary Feature Design - "Golden Teddy Awards"
General Excellence:
8. Ancillary General Excellence - Gold "Golden Teddy Awards"
9. Website General Excellence - Gold "parentmap.com"
10. General Excellence - Gold
19 finalist positions in the following categories:
Editorial Categories: Headlines Column: Family Fun "Out and About"; Profile - "Superheroes for Washington Families"; News Feature - "War Changes People"; Investigative Reporting - "TV Nation"; Service Feature - "Talking to Young Kids about Sex"; Overall Writing.
Design Categories: Front Cover/Glossy: Use of Stock Photo - "December 2010" (War Changes People); Front Cover/Glossy: Original Illustration - "March 2011"; Interior Photography (Original) - "Superheroes for Washington Families"; Table of Contents - "July 2011," "August 2011"; Briefs/Short Stuff - "Mind + Body", January and February 2011; "Postings (Body Talk)", January and October 2011; Feature Layout/Color "War Changes People"; Overall Use of Photography - Superheroes for Washington Families"; Overall Finalist Special Section - "Education Gift Guide."
Ancillary Publications Category: Ancillary Cover - "LearningMap 2011"; Ancillary Feature Writing - "Home School Cool"; Ancillary Overall Writing - "BabyMap 2011".
Website Categories: Website Design
ParentMap wins 16 awards in 2011
On March 5, 2011, ParentMap was the recipient of 16 awards at the annual Parenting Publications of America (PPA) Convention in Arlington, VA. (See below for links to this year's winning content!)
PPA's Editorial and Design Awards Competition recognizes excellence in journalism, photography, and design achieved by publishers, editors, writers, and designers at member publications throughout the country. This year, ParentMap was recognized for excellence in design (eight awards), editorial (five awards), and web presence (three awards).
Of Parentmap’s editorial column ‘Family Fun,’ the award judges commented, “These are clever, compelling and actionable columns that arm parents with options for entertaining their small fry. Great use of humor throughout as well!” From a design perspective, publisher Alayne Sulkin was particularly proud of the honor that acknowledged the magazine’s use of photography in the annual ‘Superheroes for Local Families’ feature. “Every April, we look forward to recognizing a number of unsung heroes in our community who advocate for local kids,” Sulkin commented. “The award for last year’s ‘Superheroes’ spread comes at a wonderful time as our upcoming April issue will hit stands with a new group of incredible individuals in just a few short weeks. The award is invigorating and we are can’t wait to share these photos and stories!
Featured content-winning articles:
Alterna-zoos: Four local zoos allow close-up critter connections
Go wild in the city! A slough of ideas for spring exploration
Bouncing back: Nurturing resilience in children
Are girls acting sexy too young?
Superheroes for Washington families 2010
Bite me! Your guide to teething
ParentMap wins a record 30 awards in 2010
ParentMap has just been awarded 30 prestigious industry awards for editorial, design and Web excellence! The Parenting Publications of America (PPA) awarded the honors at its annual convention in Charlotte, North Carolina last weekend. ParentMap was singled out from more than 1,000 entries from more than 60 publications in the US, Canada and Australia.
The 2010 awards - and the judges' comments - are as follows:
Website content
Gold Award: parentmap.com, Kristen Russell Dobson, Web editor; Kris Collingridge, Calendar and Out and About editor; Kristin Hart, Web product manager; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. ParentMap has mastered the art of writing for the Web, with a liberal use of short paragraphs, bullet points, bolded words and quick reads. The front page is a great listing of important news now -- the site reads like a news site and less like a magazine, taking advantage of the immediacy the Internet offers. Directories and calendar listings are very robust and contain great information for parents.
Website design
Bronze: parentmap.com; Kristin Hart, Web product manager; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. Clean design and soft, muted color palette make the top of the page very pleasing and easy to navigate to the links and content. Inside pages are equally clean, easy to navigate. Many of the page elements are the same from page to page, making site recognition easy and distinct.
Front cover: Glossy stock
Gold: ParentMap; "Full-time Daddy," Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher Denim colored blue jeans would overpowered the feet and it's the contrast of those two pair of feet that make this work so well. Smart use of duotone and type placement allows the eye to quickly find the content. Effective use of spot color sets off the nameplate and secondary story promos. Great, subtle execution.
Front cover: Original illustration
Gold: ParentMap, September cover; Alli Arnold, illustrator; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher The cover story is about fall arts, and the cover is a clever illustration of fall arts. Children form the letters. The message is art told in art.
Front cover: Stock illustration
Silver: ParentMap; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher The striking field of red grabs the reader's attention. The brushwork on the Chinese characters lend an interesting texture to the layout.
Interior photography
Bronze: ParentMap; Will Austin, photographer Bold use of portraits that go a long way in defining the story about heroes. The grand size reinforces the grand ideas. Excellent technical photography.
Gold: ParentMap; Katie McCullough Simmons, photographer. What a marvelously engaging photograph that gives readers lots to look at. The enigmatic glance of the Dalai Lama adds so much to the special exuberance of the singers. Excellent, authentic, surprising photography.
Table of contents - design
Gold: ParentMap; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher This is a design that likes to mix things up while still maintaining a sensible, easy-to-navigate design. Playful imagery, sectioned headers, and clear size dominance signals to readers which stories deserve the most attention.
Best overall use of photography
Silver: ParentMap (Jan, April and May 2009.) Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher Good design diversity on the covers, not just cute kids staring into the camera. The designs are clean and attention-getting. Simple and effective. In the January issue the lead photo is a very tightly shot right half of a girl's face on the cover. The left half is used as the lead image with the story. It's clean, simple, effective and reader can instantly tell that they're at the cover story. Stock images are used well, catch the eye on the page.
Gold: ParentMap (Dec. 2008, Feb. and June 2009.) Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
This magazine uses photography well as storytelling images. Looking at all three covers, there is a good diversity in the types of photos used. It’s easy to tell that these images go with stories in the issue. In this set of issues the photos are used a bit more dominantly in the feature stories, not just in the cover story.
Best overall use of color
Silver: ParentMap - May 2009; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher This magazine has chosen a rich, muted color palette and does not stray from it. The colors complement each other, and they are used to communicate hierarchy and direct the reader's eye. The palette plays a crucial role in defining the magazine's calm, pleasant personality.
Gold: ParentMap - February 2009; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
This magazine has chosen a rich, muted color palette and does not stray from it. The colors complement each other, and they are used to communicate hierarchy and direct the reader's eye. The palette plays a crucial role in defining the magazine's calm, pleasant personality.
Overall use of typography
Silver: ParentMap; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulken, publisher
A big part of ParentMap's consistency and approachability is its simple typography. The magazine is scannable and easy to navigate. Text type is friendly and sized well. When the display type with features varies from the rest of the publication, it stays enough in the same style as to feel cohesive.
Cover writing
Bronze: ParentMap (September and November); Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor, writer; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. Some fun alliteration is created with the cover blurbs, such as "Bratz, Barbie and Body Image." Good use of questions and exclamation points (which can be tough to do, especially on magazine covers).
Gold: ParentMap (February and June); Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor, writer; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. These cover lines use a pairing of title and deck to fully explain the article to readers. It's a wonderful formula that allows for both creativity and an opportunity to explain the story. These cover blurbs balance fun with providing crucial information for parents. Page numbers mean that readers won't have to hunt for a story.
Headline writing
Silver: ParentMap; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor, writer; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. It's rare to find a headline without a subhead in this publication, and they are all strongly written. For example, "Reading with toddlers: Storytime tips for wiggly kids" is bound the draw in every reader who has ever tried to get a child to sit still long enough to read a book – the headline does a great job of selling that article. It's just one example of many headlines in this publication that work well.
Column writing: child development
Gold: ParentMap; "Getting School Ready," Linda Morgan, writer. Strong storytelling and accomplished writing. Important lessons for parents with a gentle, well-sourced touch. Nice use of personal anecdotes.
Column writing: family matters
Silver: ParentMap; "Ages and Stages," Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
(Entire A&S section is the winner) Finding "me time" for mothers is becoming more difficult. The writer of this column does a good job of explaining why it is important for moms to get a break from the kids. It also has resources moms can turn to for help. The second column on finding the right babysitter is something mothers will clip out and put away as a reference guide. The information is excellent and real-life examples add to the resources provided in the column.
Column writing: family fun
Bronze: ParentMap; "Out + About: Fort Nisqually," Kris Collingridge, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. An informative column that combines a mother's voice with an expert's knowledge. Not a wasted word in these articles, written in an active, enthusiastic voice.
Silver: ParentMap; "Out + About: Penguin," Angie McCullagh, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. Nice use of personal anecdotes to add local flavor, combined with a great use of local information that readers can act upon. Lively and informative writing throughout.
Column writing: travel
Bronze: ParentMap; "More Maui, Less Money," Lora Shinn, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. Who doesn't want to go to Maui? Is lovely, but airfare has made it out of reach. This article helps you find the bargains, and plops you down on that silver sand for less.
Profile writing
Gold: ParentMap, "Superheroes for Washington Families," Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; ParentMap writing staff; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. A sparkling collection of sharply honed, revealing vignettes about people who make a difference in childrens' lives. Each mini-mini-profile punches to the heart and soul of its subject – and every one of them, no matter how short, has an outside perspective from someone who offers testimony to the subject's accomplishments and value.
Writing: news feature
Silver: ParentMap, “Unschool Me!” Lora Shinn, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. Letting children decide what they want to learn sounds illogical and foolhardy, but in the hands of this author, the story transforms into an interesting piece about "child led learning." With skillful reporting, interesting anecdotes to humanize the story, and an authoritative narrative voice, this feature article will cause readers to rethink what may be best for children.
Writing: investigative reporting
Silver: ParentMap; "Worked Up about Homework," Linda Morgan, associate editor; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. A pithy lead pulls the reader into this article that looks at the quantity and quality of homework that teachers assign students. The writer shows how homework can disrupt home life by talking to parents of local school kids. The writer also backs up the anecdotes with research.
Design: ancillary cover
Silver: ParentMap, BabyMap, Spring; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor. The cover photograph is as simple as the theme. The open background and the baby-in-the-basket work to establish a visual package. The tease lines along the bottom are small but written well. Design: ancillary feature
Bronze: ParentMap, BabyMap, Spring, "The No Waste Nursery," Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. What a creative use of photography in this layout. A great illustration idea that proves the basis of the story: simplicity is always the best option. Subheds and typography aid readers through the text of this layout.
Silver: ParentMap (Family Directory); "Family Fun All Year Long," Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. This layout uses art to its advantage as a means of breaking up long blocks of type. Use of typography and color help enhance the concept of the layout theme.
Writing: ancillary feature
Bronze: ParentMap LearningMap; Elaine Bowers, writer; Linda Morgan, editor; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. As children start school, whether they have the requisite maturity and skills is a longstanding question that resists easy analysis. Here the author takes up the issue and offers considered insights into the ongoing quandary of when to send a kid to kindergarten. It's the perfect example of an old idea, reported in a new and interesting way.
Silver: ParentMap BabyMap (Spring); Tera Schreiber, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
This creative, insightful and well-reported service journalism feature will help parents upend old notions of what a baby's nursery should include. This piece offers counterintuitive but helpful suggestions about what’s best, and most economical, for the baby who, as it turns out, doesn't need everything.
Ancillary general excellence
Bronze: ParentMap, Baby Map; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher. A baby guide for today's hip parents, including questions for your doula, plus fun ways to choose unusual names and how to have a greener nursery. A publication worth copying for other cities!
ParentMap Dominates the 2009 Industry Awards
ParentMap was singled out from more than 1,000 entries from more than 80 publications in the US, Canada and Australia to win 19 prestigious awards in 2009. Among top honors won this year: the Gold Award for news reporting for the feature, “Teaching Empathy,” the Silver Award for excellence in overall writing, and the bronze for overall design. This here Website won the silver award for overall excellence.
“It’s incredibly gratifying to be recognized for doing what we love to do,” says PM head diva, publisher and founder Alayne Sulkin. “These 19 awards are a great honor, and a nice validation that we’re doing things right – really serving our community with the very best resources and information.”
The 2009 awards are for the following 2008 issues:
Design awards
Front Cover/Stock Photo - Silver: “Facebook?” Emily Johnson, art director; Kristen Russell Dobson, editor.
"This cover brings a smile to your face and invites you to read the story. The secondary line, “The challenge of Generation Text” is an effective hook. Secondary story teases are packaged neatly along the bottom so there is no clutter."
Front Cover/Glossy: Original Illustration - Silver: “Mapping Your Career After Kids”; Alli Arnold, artist; Emily Johnson, art director
"Straightforward, colorful imagery that quickly illustrates the theme. Large, bold images communicate effectively. Composition suggests movement, not a static image."
Interior Illustration (Original) - Gold: “Mapping your Career After Kids”; Alli Arnold, artist; Emily Johnson, art director
"The illustrator takes a complex story – mapping a career after kids – and sets a scene that includes the frenetic lifestyle but also presents the possibility of a plan. The simple style that uses a contemporary palette and getting beyond the typical portrayal of a mother both helped to make this a winner."
Table of Contents - Bronze: “August 2008”; Emily Johnson, art director; Kristen Russell Dobson, editor
"The designer of this contents page leaves no doubt what is most important in the issue, with a dominant tease that earns half the page’s space. The rest of the page is kept simple and easy to follow."
Calendar of Events - Silver: Emily Johnson, art director; Kris Collingridge, calendar editor
"A vivid, contemporary color scheme sets an exciting tone and beckons the reader. The calendar grid layout makes these pages particularly user-friendly. The 'hot tip!' box in the June calendar provides a nice focal point as well."
Feature layout - Bronze: “Superheroes for Washington families”; Emily Johnson, art director; Will Austin, photographer; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"Generous portrait sizes, fun tips boxes and good white space make for a nice profile series on superheroes for Washington families. The portraits are especially well done, and balanced well with fun candids to balance the presentation."
Overall Use of Color - Bronze: Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"Bold, attractive colors in the cover illustrations of the July and September issues are effectively mirrored in the tease type below. Elsewhere, well-selected color combinations give the publication an up-to-date feel, for example on the summer safety layout and on the monthly calendar pages."
Overall Design - Bronze: Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"A rich color palette sets the tone for this down-to-earth publication. It’s easy and fun to read, with simple typography and a good use of space."
Ancillary Feature Design - Silver: Family Directory 2008; “Family Fun All Year Long”; Emily Johnson, art director; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"A delightful design for what might have been just a traditional calendar of events listing. The artwork is crisp and the images engaging. Color is used to inform and draw readers into the design. Typography is crisp and easily legible. Informative and fun."
Editorial awards
Cover Writing - Gold: Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulken, publisher
"The editors give lots of space to the lead story of their magazine and the cover-line writer makes this work. With effective, short and snappy lead-ins like 'Entitle-mania' we know the magazine confronts the contemporary issues in parenting. The cover lines are smart and effective; well done. The writing is fresh, making these a great read."
Column: Briefs/Short Stuff - Gold: “Postings”; Kristen Russell Dobson, writer, Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"The secret is in the writing – bright, breezy and brief! Subheds sing, and Green Bites are a great idea for today’s environmentally conscious families."
Travel Feature - Silver: “Hail, Victoria!”; Lora Shinn, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, editor
"A cheerful voice and playful tone turned this travel feature into a pleasant but informative read. Details about places to visit were provided with a smooth, narrative flow that takes the reader effortlessly to the end of the piece."
News Feature - Gold: “Teaching Empathy”; Kristin Russell Dobson, writer; Alayne Sulkin, editor
"From its compelling lead to its useful tips, this is a well-balanced story about adding compassion to the lives of children. Excellent job of inserting vignettes throughout."
Overall Writing - Silver: Kristen Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"The overline on the cover sets the tone: '’cause parenting is a trip!' The writing throughout is lively, the tone conversational. Headlines and even the listings are fun to read."
Ancillary Feature Writing - Bronze: “BabyMap”; “Pottytunity Knocks”; Tera Schreiber, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor
"This is the straight poop on potty training. Who knew there was so much to consider? This helpful article on different methods offers some practical advice from other parents that will save both child and adult a lot of frustration."
Ancillary Feature Writing - Silver: “BabyMap”; “Slow Parenting”; Lora Shinn, writer; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor
"Interesting perspective on how parental competiveness for childhood development comes into play. The story should make some parents laugh, and some squirm as they recognize themselves in this story about anxiety on everything from when the child will crawl to what is eaten. Good reporting and interviews."
Ancillary Overall Writing - Bronze: “BabyMap-Spring”; Kristen Russell Dobson, managing editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"Well-sourced articles provide information on a variety of subjects, including feeding a baby to more trendy topics such as 'babymoons.' Solid writing and interviews with locals should be a real attraction for local parents desiring information on all the joys and challenges that go along with the job."
Website awards:
Website Design - Silver: Kristin Hart, project manager; Kristen Russell Dobson, Website editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"The strength of ParentMap’s Website comes from the designer’s use of photos. Photographs act as entry points to articles and information."
Website General Excellence - Silver: Kristin Hart, project manager; Kristen Russell Dobson, Website editor; Alayne Sulkin, publisher
"Parentmap.com uses sophisticated colors and fonts to provide an enticing first impression. The site then provides depth with its Web-exclusive features. Those include an up-to-date blog and calendar with content linking users to the greater Seattle region"
ParentMap Takes Home 24 Awards in 2008
We're honored to say we've just been awarded a record 24 honors from the Parenting Publications of America! From design excellence to investigative journalism to Website content, we took home top honors - the Gold Award - in 7 categories. Our award-winning Out & About section took home yet more awards, in lovely shades of gold and silver. Ages & Stages? Simply the best column of its kind in the nation! And those eye-catching ParentMap and BabyMap covers caught the judges' eye, earning us multiple gold, silver, and bronze awards.
The 2007 awards:
Editorial awards:
Column: Briefs: Silver: ParentMap, "Postings"
Column: Reviews: Gold: ParentMap
Column: Family matters: Gold: ParentMap, "Ages & Stages
Column: Family fun: Silver: ParentMap; "Out and About"
Travel feature: Silver: ParentMap, “Tree houses, caves, and volcanoes—oh my!”
Personal essay: Bronze: ParentMap, "A heartbreaking need for clean water"
Investigative reporting: Gold: ParentMap, "Mothers' Rights"
Special section within a publication: Bronze: ParentMap, Ages and Stages
Ancillary feature writing: Bronze: BabyMap
Ancillary overall writing: Silver: SummerMap
Design awards:
Front cover – original illustration: Bronze: ParentMap – “Protecting your child”
Front cover – original illustration: Silver: ParentMap – “A Heart for the arts”
Interior photography - Silver: ParentMap; “Fatherhood now”
Table of contents: Bronze: ParentMap
Overall use of typography: Gold: ParentMap
Infographics: Gold: ParentMap
Special section: Silver: ParentMap "Gift Guide"
Overall design: Bronze: ParentMap
Ancillary cover: Silver: BabyMap
Ancillary feature design: Silver: Family Directory
Ancillary feature design: Gold: BabyMap
Website awards:
Website design: Silver: ParentMap.com
Website content: Gold: ParentMap.com
Website general excellence: Gold: ParentMap.com
ParentMap Wins 14 Prestigious Awards
A summary of the 2006 Awards presented to ParentMap newsmagazine include:
General Excellence Bronze:
“ParentMap offers compelling writing and strong content. They have unique articles about teaching teen parents, ‘Teaching Kindness and Empathy’ and ‘Teaching Peace.’ This is a publication with a sense of purpose. The College Planner special section was full of helpful information. Cohesive design and informative photographs complete the package.”
Website General Excellence Gold:
“ParentMap is an outstanding parenting resource. The site is clean and simple, easy to navigate, and a gateway to a wealth of parenting information. Particularly strong is a bilingual calendar of events in the Puget Sound region. Content is clearly organized around major parenting topics, and the site encourages a great deal of reader interactivity. This is THE parenting resource for the Seattle area, and the site shows why.”
Front Cover/Glossy: Original Photography and Illustration Gold:
“This is a warm, inviting, accessible invitation to read the magazine. One can't help but smile along with the girls on the cover: Children having fun and enjoying themselves make an instant connection with parent readers.”
Interior Photography (original) Gold:
“Turning each page is a visual treat: beautiful photographs, generous display and great printing and reproduction. A good mix of fashion, accessories and explanatory text.”
Best Overall Use of Color Silver:
“This is a clean, beautiful publication. The color choices show restraint and attention to detail, especially in the department labels. The designers manage to stick to a limited palette and also match colors to specific content. The result is an elegant reading experience.”
Overall Design Gold:
“Superior quality makes ParentMap stand out from the rest. From the cover illustrations to the creative feature page designs to the solid typography, this publication is all about giving the reader the highest quality possible.”
Cover Writing Gold:
“The simple elegance of the cover lines on ParentMap is creative and compelling. Putting the cover lines on the bottom wouldn’t work for commercial magazines on the newsstand, but it works exceptionally well for this publication. It helps avoid complex and confounding issues often seen in other magazines.”
Column- Briefs/Short Stuff Silver:
“Here was a good read in part because it was brief and tightly edited but mainly because it seemed to be written by one person and the voice of that writer came through. At times one brief fed off another very neatly, carrying the reader along and speaking to the reader as if part of an intelligent conversation. If that voice is identified with that feature issue after issue, readers will look forward to that much as they would a columnist.”
Travel Feature Silver:
“Vancouver: Here's a rare bit of close-to-home adventure, a border-crossing visit to a city that sure seems enticing. The "if you go" details are plentiful and specific.”
Service Feature Gold:
College Planner:“For a parent of any soon-to-be college student, this is a must-have section. It is comprehensive in its details about planning for and paying for college, as well as help in deciding which college experience and when is best for your teen. But behind the facts and figures is a human face with interviews with parents, college officials and private consultants. Writing is straightforward but not stiff, well-edited and organized.”
Ancillary Overall Writing (55K category) Bronze:
BabyMap. “Taking the complicated subject of how a baby's brain works and turning it into a readable, informative story is representative of the writing in this publication. Issues are thoroughly explored and experts interviewed to give readers a complete picture.”
Website Design Silver:
“ParentMap's Web design offers what it promises: a comprehensive map for parents to follow when looking for news and information that will help them as parents. Information is clearly organized and easy to find, and the Website's color palette works as an organizational tool rather than being purely decorative.”
Website Content Silver:
“This is a strongly written magazine, with plenty of content for all age groups. Ages & Stages writing is particularly useful, giving parents useful information about particular age groups. Taste recipe section adds a dash of humor to what can often be a boring section. Use of local experts makes the writing particularly strong.”
ParentMap's 2005 Awards
