Cat Writers' Association, Inc.

2004 CWA COMMUNICATIONS CONTEST
CWA President, Fran Pennock Shaw welcomes attendees to the 11th Annual CWA Awards Banquet.
Photo: ©Betsy Stowe
The regular category entries below were scored independently by three CWA member judges who had no knowledge of who else shared their judging assignments. Each judge awarded points on a scale of 1-100, and forwarded the results to the Contest Chair. The three scores were then averaged by the Contest Chair to calculate the Certificate of Excellence winners and Muse MedallionTM recipients. There were more than 400 entries in this year's contest in both the regular and Special Awards.

Muse MedallionEntries must reflect a certain standard of excellence to be mentioned as a finalist. The Certificate of Excellence citations below indicate the entry received an average score of 90 points or higher. Muse Medallions will be awarded in each category at the annual awards conference in Houston, TX in November. Recipients of the Muse MedallionTM (shown right) scored highest in this outstanding field of excellence and were announced at the 2004 annual conference.

I. Magazines


    I.4 - Magazine Article - Health and General Care

      Arnold Plotnick "Feline First Aid" Kittens USA
      Judge's comments: "This is an article to keep handy at all times and to hand out to every adopter of a new kitten."

    I.5 - Magazine Article - Training & Behavior

      Pamela J. Reid "Touchy: Pet-Induced Aggression in Cats" ASPCA Animal Watch
      Jacque Lynn Schultz "The Trouble with Cats and Plants" ASPCA Animal Watch
      Judge's comments: "A tightly organized, clear and accessible piece that conveyed a lot of useful information and handy tips. It could be hung on a refrigerator for easy reference."

    I.6 - Magazine Article - Other

      Nancy Lawson "The Declaw Dilemma" Animal Sheltering
      Judge's comments: "It was really hard to judge such excellent articles."

    I.7 - Magazine Column

      Arnold Plotnick "Feline Frontiers" Cat Fancy
      Judge's comments: "A lot of information clearly presented. Informative and direct."

II. Newspapers

    II.1 - Newspaper Article

      Sophia Yin "Cats Aren't Cut Out to Be Vegetarians" San Francisco Chronicle
      Judge's comments: "This was wonderful reading."

    II.2 - Newspaper Column

      Amy D. Shojai "P'Etiquette" The Herald-Democrat
      Judge's comments: "Well written, organized and researched. An all-around professional, readable, education and fun job!"

III. Newsletters

    III.1 - Newsletter - Breed Specific

      Ev Russell "International Scottish Fold Association Newsletter" International Scottish Fold Association
      Judge's comments: "This newsletter has come a long way since I started judging this breed. Very impressive!"

    III.2 - Newsletter - Others, National Circulation

      Kris Rerecich "Alley Cat Action" Alley Cat Allies
      Judge's comments: "An excellent job of meeting the target audience. Overall a consistent voice and style, more emotive."

    III.3 - Newsletter - Others, Regional or Membership Circulation

      Nancy Marano "Petroglyphs" Petroglyphs
      Judge's comments: "Excellent newsletter devoted to helping pets."

    III.4 - Newsletter Article - Health and General Care

      Arden Moore "Litterbox Lessons" Catnip
      Judge's comments: "A lot of great articles. I learned a lot."

    III.5 - Newsletter Article - Other Topics

      Wendy Christensen "Cool, Clever Calicos" Catnip
      Judge's comments: "A lot of fabulous info here."

    III.6 - Newspaper Column

      Nancy Marano "Cat Chat" Petroglyphs
      Arden Moore "Editor's Note" Catnip
      Judge's comments: "I like the authors' accessible voce and engaging style-includes a nice dash of humor."

IV. Short Story, Poetry, Humor and Miscellaneous

    IV.1 - Short Story

      Carole Nelson Douglas "License to Koi" Berkley Prince Crime Publishing
      Judge's comments: "This story is clever, spirited and entertaining with a slick cat hero. Thanks for a good read!"

    IV.2 - Poem or Book of Poetry

      Betsy Stowe "Calico Tales and Others" Infinity Publishing
      Judge's comments: "Her beautifully crafted poems truly capture the spirit and soul of cats. Her words mesmerize."

    IV.3 - Humor

      Dusty Rainbolt "Dear Hobbes" City + Country Pets
      Judge's comments: "This one made me laugh out loud."

    IV.4 - Series, Subject-Related

      Koren Wetmore "The State of Cats in 2004" Cat Fancy
      Judge's comments: "My head was spinning with all the information presented here. Awesome!"

    IV.5 - Brochure, Pamphlet, or Special Publication

      The Humane Society of the United States "Obstetrician/Gynecologist Toxoplasmosis Mailing" The Humane Society of the United States
      Judge's comments: "A thoroughly professional presentation. Informative, well-written, well designed and indisputably credible."

    IV.6 - Opinion Piece/Essay/Editorial

      Steve Dale "Rebuttal to Vet Care Article" Tribune Media Services
      Amy Shojai "Don't Make Litter-ary Errors" The Herald-Democrat
      Judge's comments: "Offers a strong, convincing opinion. It packs a punch in a relatively short space.'

V. Books

    V.1 - Fiction

      Victor DiGenti "Windrusher" The Writers' Collective
      Judge's comments: "Great characters and emotionally engaging. Well done!"

    V.2 - Children

      Leslea Newman and Ronald Himler "The Best Cat in the World" Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
      Judge's comments: "This is just about the perfect picture book. The illustrations are lush and vibrant, and the story perfectly captures the grief and the return of hope in life after a death."

    V.3 - Care & Health

      Lila Miller and Stephen Zawistowski "Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff" Blackwell Publishing
      Judge's comments: "Bravo for taking this topic on! The issues are complex and will only get more so. Congratulations for making a major contribution to animal health for years to come."

    V.4 - Training & Behavior

      Beth Adelman "Every Cat's Survival Guide to Living With a Neurotic Owner" Barnes & Noble Books
      Judge's comments: "A nice twist on basic information. The writing is clever but not too cutesy. She successfully gets away with breaking the "don't write in the cat's voice" rule.

    V.6 - Other

      Diane Leigh and Marilee Geyer "One at a Time: A Week in an American Animal Shelter" No Voice Unheard
      Judge's comments: "Powerfully makes its compelling point. I felt so much anger and sadness in reading the book that it was often difficult to continue."

VI. Non-Print Media

    VI.2 - Radio Presentation, Audiotape, or CD

      Steve Dale "The Pet News with Steve Dale" Matrix Media
      Judge's comments: "Really targets all aspects of the category criteria."

    VI.3 - Online Magazine or Newsletter

      Lee Harper "PandECats.com" PandECats.com
      Judge's comments: "Has many overall useful articles. Easy to read type and clear index on the front page."

    VI.4 - Single Online Article - Health and General Care

      Louise Holton "Veterinary Care: Guidelines for Veterinarians Treating Feral Cats" Alley Cat Rescue
      Judge's comments: "I saved this for reference."

    VI.4a - Single Online Article - Other Topics

      Steve Dale "La Casa de los Gatos" Animal Planet.com
      Judge's comments: "A story that needs to be told."

    VI.5 - Online Column

      Wendy Christensen "Herding Cats...at Home" Kitty Bytes by The Cat Site
      Amy Shojai "Emotional Health" CatChow.com
      Judge's comments: "To read either one is to see a master at work."

VII. Graphic Arts

    VII.1 - Single Photograph, black & white

      Bev Caldwell "Can We Go, Too?" CatWatch
      Judge's comments: "The best images aren't planned, so the photographer must be ready to capture them in a flash."

    VII.2 - Single Photograph, color

      Barbara Kittell "Cat Dance" ASPCA Animal Watch
      Judge's comments: "The focus of this category is to capture that single moment in time that conveys the essence of what it is like to be a cat. This photo does that in a meow-va-lous manner.'

    VII.3 - Photography Series, black & white

      Lorenz Kienzle "ABC Cat" Stewart, Tabori & Chang
      Judge's comments: "These photos were outstanding and I hope to see more work from him."

    VII.4 - Photography Series, color

      Weems S. Hutto "Kittens For Dummies" Wiley Publishing
      Meredith Weiss "Trap, Neuter, Return: The Humane Alternative" ASPCA Animal Watch
      Judge's comments: "All these entries are technically perfect, but the winners edged out with their artistic mood and emotion."

    VII.5 - Illustration or Cartoon

      Wendy Christensen "Sunflower Calico" I Love Cats
      Judge's comments: "I hope it's OK to give 100 points."

    VII.6 - Series of Illustrations or Cartoons

      Brad W. Foster "Something Fishy" Cozy Noir Press
      Judge's comments: "The illustrations were interesting, emotive, unique. I wish there were more!"

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