The Diocese of Parramatta and its flagship publication Catholic Outlook have claimed two awards at the 2023 Australasian Catholic Press Association (ACPA) Awards at The Westin, Perth, on Thursday 7 September.
Concluding a two-day conference with over 40 delegates working in Catholic publications, media and communications across Australia and New Zealand, the annual awards recognise excellence in Catholic magazines, newspapers and digital publications across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific across a variety of categories.
Best News Content
Mary Brazell, Communications Officer for the Diocese of Parramatta, was awarded ‘Best News Content’ for her article in Catholic Outlook titled Robert Fitzgerald at National Deacons Conference: “What you do matters”.
The article details a keynote address from NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM to members of the permanent diaconate community of Australia during the Biennial National Deacons Conference in October 2022. The conference was hosted by the Diocese of Parramatta.
RELATED: Robert Fitzgerald at National Deacons Conference: “What you do matters”
In their comments on the submission, the judges wrote, “Mary details the talk given by Robert Fitzgerald reminding the deacons and others present at the conference that deacons are a ‘critically important part of the emerging Church.’
“It is a clear and excellent summary of his presentation, enabling those who were not present to gain insight from his talk.
“The article is set for a global audience,” the judges said.
Most Improved Publication
The Diocese of Parramatta was also awarded Most Improved Publication (Print) for its quarterly Catholic Outlook Magazine, which has been going from strength to strength since it was reintroduced in late 2019.
The category recognises the improvements made by a publication of the course of a 24-month period, with the judges considering improvements in areas such as content, quality of writing, creativity, photographs, graphics, layout and design.
In its award submission, the Catholic Outlook Magazine’s editorial team explained that over the judging period, each edition followed a liturgical season with a theme uniting all content, a strong balance of local content with international stories, shorter, accessible stories for non-English speakers and case studies that reflects the multicultural nature of our Diocese.
The judges labelled Catholic Outlook Magazine as “a clear winner” in its feedback. “There was clear improvement over previous work, its considerable attention to detail, and evidence of the improved version’s impact on readership, contributions and advertising. Well done!” they said.
Awards recognition of hard-working team
Anita Sulentic, Head of Diocesan Communications and Engagement, said, “These two ACPA awards are a testament to the dedication and superb writing skills of our Communications Team.
“Covering the news of the people, ministries, and events in the Diocese of Parramatta is a joy. We love telling the stories of the wonderful faith-filled people in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains and sharing the Gospel’s good news.
“A huge congratulations to Mary Brazell, our committed writer who won the Best News Content award. She has been covering stories for many years, and this recognition is more than well deserved,” she said.
Br Mark O’Connor FMS, Vicar for Communications and Editor of the Catholic Outlook Magazine, added, “Catholic Outlook covers a range of local and global Catholic stories and we are honoured to win two ACPA awards this year.
“We pride ourselves on covering a range of topics and content and are always focused on how we can improve. We made significant changes to our magazine, and receiving “Most Improved – Print” showcases the hard work of the team,” he said.
