The Richmond News editorial team was lauded Saturday night at B.C. Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray Awards where it took first place in the Art and Culture Writing category, while being honoured with bronze in the Feature Photo and Community Service categories.

The judges described the Arts alive in Richmond special edition as “First class research, reporting and writing. The writers did their homework and found a way to sustain interest for their readers with each article and throughout the series.”

The themed paper employed the talents of the entire editorial team, Eve Edmonds, Alan Campbell, Michelle Hopkins and photographer Chung Chow, to explore the role of arts and culture in Richmond.

On the same night at the River Rock Casino Resort, Chow’s stunning photo of a chickadee took bronze and was described as follows: “Spot-on timing, colour and composition make a difficult-to-capture image well-executed.”

The News’ series, Bank feeds city’s body, mind and soul also took bronze in the Community Award category. “The Richmond News went a step further than supporting the food bank through editorials and awareness. By taking it right into volunteering and sharing that experience, the role modeled what it means to be of service to their community,” stated the judges.

The BCYCNA is a non-profit organization representing 120 community newspapers throughout British Columbia and the Yukon.

The Ma Murray Awards were named after Margaret 'Ma' Murray, a tenacious and outspoken figure in Canadian journalism, who began her career in the 1930s. Through the Bridge River-Lillooet News, she became known throughout B.C. as a forthright and outspoken critic of various topics of the day.