National nominations for the Journal
NNA nominations in columns, photo and cartooning
The Journal earned three National Newspaper Award nominations on Monday, recognizing outstanding work in 2017.
Columnist Paula Simons is a finalist in the columns category for three pieces that continued her relentless reporting on the life and death of Serenity, a four-year-old Indigenous child who died after sustaining fatal injuries following her placement in kinship care.
The columns tracked the ongoing investigation and focused on the courageous efforts of Serenity ’s mother to hold police and the justice system to account. It is the second time Simons’ has received an NNA nomination for her reporting on Serenity’s case and is her eighth NNA nomination.
Photographer Larry Wong received a nomination in the news photo category for his heartbreaking image of a grieving congregation taken during a service to remember three women from the church who were killed after a stolen truck crashed into their minivan. The powerful image, shot at the Solid Rock Church International service, has also been recognized by the National Pictures of the Year competition. The photo appeared in both the Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun. Wong is a finalist in the general news category of the News Photographers Association of Canada contest.
Malcolm Mayes is a finalist in editorial cartooning, recognized for his spot-on commentary. His portfolio of five cartoons includes a scathing indictment of Quebec’s face cover ban, commentary on the entertainment industry’s long silence over predators within and an image that captures the sense of panic we all feel as tensions between North Korea and the U.S. escalated.
“I am so proud of the work of Paula, Larry and Malcolm,” said Mark Iype, Journal editor-inchief. “Paula’s unrelenting work and sharp writing in seeking justice for a little girl; Larry’s ability to capture raw emotion in a photograph under difficult circumstances; and Malcolm’s sometimes biting commentary through his cartoons show the breadth of talent at the Edmonton Journal.”
Overall, Postmedia journalists received 12 NNA nominations.
“Our journalists continue to show they are among the very best in the country, with nominations across a broad spectrum of categories — editorial writing and cartooning, feature writing, spot news, politics, columns, photography and feature writing,” said Gerry Nott, Postmedia’s senior vice-president for content.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Toronto on May 4.