The Burnaby NOW was recognized at the recent Ma Murray Awards.
The awards are presented by the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association to recognize the best work created by its 126 member newspapers. Awards were handed out April 26 at a gala at the River Rock.
Julie MacLellan, the NOW's arts reporter and assistant editor, earned the silver award in the Arts and Culture Writing category.
Her award came for a special feature published in the Burnaby NOW in October, Babies and the arts: A closer look. The feature, titled "Building baby bodies and brains," looked at the popularity of baby and toddler music and dance classes and examined their benefits for the tiny participants.
The judges saluted MacLellan for her "nice writing and first-class reporting."
"It's always nice to be recognized with an award, especially for something that's near and dear to your heart," said MacLellan, who was inspired by her own experiences with her toddler daughter. "And I have to give special thanks to our photographers, Larry Wright and Jason Lang, for bringing the piece to life with their great photos."
MacLellan added her thanks for the music and dance teachers who took the time to take part in the story - including dance teacher Marcia Jones with Burnaby parks and recreation, Kera Doherty of Staccato Studios' Music Together program, Vashti Fairbairn of Music Box and Jessica Hanson of Kids in Motion.
Links to the winning feature are included below.
