Leader Editor C.J. Carnacchio is adding another six awards to his trophy wall.
The 34-year-old Oxford resident was recently honored with awards for his reporting, opinion writing and photojournalism skills as part of the Michigan Press Association’s (MPA) 2010 Better Newspaper Contest, which involved 3,341 entries submitted by 126 newspapers from around the state.
‘It’s always extremely gratifying to be honored by your peers,? Carnacchio said. ‘As a professional, there’s no higher compliment.?
‘As always, I’d like to thank my loving wife Connie and the Sherman family for all the support they’ve given me over the years,? he added. ‘You can’t deal with what I deal with on a regular basis without a great support system and that includes my little orange cat Duncan.?
Carnacchio took first place in the Editorial Pages category.
The judges wrote, ‘The editorials were very well-written and sparked talk around town, I’m sure. Not afraid to have opposing viewpoints on same page.?
In the Picture Story category, Carnacchio again took first place for a photo page he created entitled ‘Up, up and away!? The subject was a hands-on lesson about hot air balloons given to students at Oxford Middle School.
The judges wrote, ‘Most entries in this class suffered from too many redundant pictures and no real story with a beginning, middle and end. This story did a good job in both areas, and it had a better variety of shots: close, medium, wide. Captions were well-written, as was the short accompanying story.?
A feature photo entitled ‘Have some turkey!? (shown above) earned Carnacchio a second place award. The photo depicted a Lakeville Elementary student, dressed up like a Pilgrim maiden, thoroughly enjoying her Thanksgiving meal.
The judges wrote, ‘The little girl’s expression is priceless, and the headline works great with it. Nice capture of life in motion!?
In the area of reporting, Carnacchio took third place in the Spot News category for his February 2010 story about the water pipe bursting at the Oxford Veterans Memorial Civic Center. ‘Easy to read and good information,? the judges wrote.
Carnacchio also finished third in the Feature Story category for his article, ‘Have pizza, will travel.?
The story told the tale of how Guido’s Premium Pizza traveled all the way to Florida to provide pies for a couple of loyal customers who were getting married in the Sunshine State.
‘What a great story! The couple (and business owner) will have a story to tell their grandchildren!? the judges wrote.
And finally, Carnacchio received an honorable mention in the editorial writing category.
The judges wrote, ‘Another great entry. Keep up the great work!?
Since joining the Leader in May 1999, Carnacchio has now earned a grand total of 47 awards from the MPA, Detroit Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and National Newspapers Association.