Headline Contest

‘Deserved Recognition’ for Editors

By Naomi Seldin

     Copy editors proved their chops with a display of accurate and attention-grabbing entries in the American Copy Editors Society’s first headline contest.
     Judges chose six division winners, two honorable mentions and four single-headline citations from 29 submissions. The winners were recognized at the ACES conference April 26-28 in Long Beach, Calif.
     The contest is in step with ACES’ purpose of increasing recognition of the difficult, and oftentimes hidden, work copy editors do.
     “This contest provides an opportunity for copy editors to show their stuff beyond their desks and immediate colleagues,” ACES President Pam Robinson said. “Copy editors so rarely get a chance for public attention; we’re hoping this contest will bring some deserved recognition.”
     Though the competition included a pack of entries from major newspapers, smaller-market editors have reason to take heart: The Denton Record-Chronicle of Texas sent six submissions, the most by any paper, and walked away with the Division A (open) category honor. Editor Margaret (Missy) Prebula won for her display head “Splinter Wonderland.”
     Winners in the Division B (major papers) field were Gina Nania of The Charlotte Observer; Joel Pisetzner of The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.; and Jake Vest of the Orlando Sentinel.
     While the contest doesn’t award real gold stars (winners received plaques and a letter from ACES to their supervisors), it does award virtual ones. Judges recommended that Nania “get a star for overall quality.”
     She was praised for her range and cleverness in such entries as “Y2K9 ... Robotic dog is no toy” and “A Peek at the Peak,” and was commended for use of alliteration – “just the right amount and tone.”
     Pisetzner also struck the right chord with “The loftiest of courts lifts its robes and ventures into the quagmire,” and “Abominable snowfall ... A sneak attack catches N.J. with shovels down.”
“Courts ... ” was not a play on words and it used strong, rather uncommon headline words to make its point,” judges explained. “The deck of the snow headline ... was clever and precise.”
     Vest’s entries – “Long night’s journey into daze” and “Cream of the cropped ... Shortened pants are hot, but the buyer needn’t get burned on price” – put him in the winner’s circle.
     Judges dispensed generous praise to Vest, along with a note of caution.
     “In general, I think that copy editors use pun headlines too often and that most of the puns simply don’t work. You have proved me wrong on two counts,” judges said. “But even having said that, I hope you use them sparingly. That way, the gems that you do write will sparkle all the more.”
     Don P. Brown of The Daily Oklahoman won Division C (large papers) handily with “Banjos been picked on long enough ... Longtime player works to improve instrument’s image” and others.
     “These headlines rely heavily on wordplay, but they work because they also pack information,” judges explained.
     Tom Wilk of the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill, N.J., received Division D (midsize papers) attention for “In Times Square, it’s revel without a pause.”
     “(Wilk’s) headlines are accurate (No. 1 factor in my view) and clever without being strained,” judges said.
     In the single-headline category, Vest and Pisetzner were winners, along with Laura Brown of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Karen Yurconic of The Morning Call of Allentown, Pa.
     Brown’s winning head: “Rock shelter around pond should prevent fish out of water.”
     “It’s a tight count, but the headline reads smoothly and provides real information. (Brown) took a chance by using a cliche, but it works,” judges said.
     Yurconic’s laurels – “punchy and an attention-grabber” – came for her tongue-in-cheek “Get a whiff of that! Allentown children do ... Kids to Farm teaches city fourth-graders to, er, appreciate agriculture.”
     Itching to enter your own award-worthy heads? ACES is already looking forward to recognizing another crop of winners – so hang on to your clips, and stay tuned for details. Information is available on the ACES Web site at http://www.copydesk.org/contest.htm.

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Naomi Seldin is a copy editor at The Ithaca Journal. She can be reached at nseldin@ithaca.gannett.com.

Winners

Division A, Open
Margaret (Missy) Prebula, Denton Record-Chronicle, Texas
Division B, Major Papers
Gina Nania, The Charlotte Observer
Division B, Major Papers
Joel Pisetzner, The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.
Division B, Major Papers
Jake Vest, Orlando Sentinel
Division C, Large Papers
Don P. Brown, The Daily Oklahoman
Division D, Midsize Papers
Tom Wilk, Courier-Post, Cherry Hill, N.J.

Honorable mention

Division C, Large Papers
Karen Yurconic, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.
Division E, Small Papers
Mary Elizabeth McLendon, Denton Record-Chronicle

Single-headline
citations

Division B, Major Papers
Joel Pisetzner, The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.
Division B, Major Papers
Jake Vest, Orlando Sentinel
Division C, Large Papers
Laura Brown, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Division C, Large Papers
Karen Yurconic, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

Full listing of winning entries

Contest Divisions

A: Open (Includes display headlines, headlines for art and those from other media – syndicates, wire services, magazines and Web sites)
B: Major Papers (circulation 250,000 or more)
C: Large Papers (circulation 125,000 to 249,999)
D: Medium Papers (circulation 50,000 to
124,999)
E: Small Papers (circulation 49,999 or less)