2008 GWA MEDIA AWARDS

    For over 25 years, the GWA has conducted an annual awards program for talent and products published or aired in the field of garden communications. The purpose of the program is to provide recognition for the vast talents of the GWA membership in the area of writing, photography, graphic design, illustration and electronic media such as radio, television and Internet programming. It is a means of showcasing the many exceptional works created and/or published every year.

    From 302 awards entries, 49 works were recognized for individual or collective achievement in 2007. Working in category teams (writing, photography, etc.), judges reviewed every entry based upon an objective point system evaluating information accuracy, content, organization, style and originality. Entries placing in the top 10% of this non-competitive scoring receive the Silver Award of Achievement and become semifinalists for the Gold Awards for Best Talent or Best Product.

    The second stage of judging becomes competitive. From the 49 Silver Award of Achievement recipients, the judges, as a group, subjectively evaluate talent (writing, photography, on-air personality, etc.) and product (book, magazine, calendar, etc.) entries for "Best Talent" or "Best Product" awards.

    Awards Chair Scott Aker is pleased to announce the following recipients of the 2008 Silver Awards of Achievement. The Gold Awards for Best Talent and Best Product of the Year will be announced at the Annual Awards Banquet to be held September 22, 2008, at the 60th Annual GWA Symposium in Portland, OR.


2008 Silver Awards of Achievement
Writing: Magazine
Gene B. Bussell for “Hope is Blooming” published by Southern Living.
Joanna Fortnam for “Into the Light” published by Garden Design.
Sari Harrar for “The Bee Crisis” published by Organic Gardening Magazine.
Bob Hill for “The Legend of Hidden Hollow” published by The American Gardener.
Kate Karam for “I dreamed of a garden full of flowers and fragrance” published by Cottage Living.
Tamara Kilbane for “Amazon Strength” published by Ponds Magazine.
Irene Virag for “Flash Dance” published by Nature’s Garden.
Deb Wiley for “Roses Made Easy” published by Midwest Living.

Writing: Newspaper
Debra Lee Baldwin for “Did Succulents Save Her Home?” published by  Los Angeles Times.
Beth Botts for “Beauty and the plastic beast” published by Chicago Tribune.
Kim Palmer for “Grass-roots movement” published by Star Tribune.
Nan Sterman for “British Imports” published by Los Angeles Times.
Wendy Tweten for “Miss Snippy derides again” published by Kingston Community News.
George Weigel for “Guy Gardening” published by Patriot-News.

Writing: Book
Scott Calhoun for Chasing Wildflowers: A Mad Search for Wild Gardens published by Rio Nuevo Publishers.
Aurelia C. Scott for Otherwise Normal People published by Algonquin Books.
Douglas Tallamy for Bringing Nature Home published by Timber Press.

Writing: Technical Book
Susan Carter, Carrie Becker & Bob Lilly for Perennials: The Gardener’s Reference published by Timber Press.

Writing: Newsletter/Bulletin/Brochure
Marian St. Clair for the article “Peek Into Nature’s Window at Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary” published by And Sow Forth.

Writing: Electronic Media
Wendy Tweten for the article “Wendy Tweten’s Top Ten” published on www.rainyside.com.

Photography: Magazine
Stacy Bass for “Secret Garden” published by AtHome Magazine.
Stacy Bass for “Well-Grounded” published by AtHome Magazine.
Lynn Karlin for “There’s No One Way to Make a Cottage Garden” published by Cottage Living Magazine.
J. Paul Moore for “Southern Comfort – Living Room Windows from Garden Views” published by Great Gardens.

Photography: Book
Rob Cardillo for A Guide to the Great Gardens of the Philadelphia Region published by Temple University Press.

Photography: Calendar
Saxon Holt for Gardening 2008 Calendar published by Time Factory.

Photography: Cover
Christa Neu for the magazine cover “April 2007 Issue” published by Organic Gardening Magazine.

Photography: Portfolio
Ilona McCarty for the 2007 Photography Portfolio.

Photography: Electronic Media
Debra Lee Baldwin for Designing with Succulents Plant Pallette CD.

Illustration: Book
Sam Tomasello for Gardening with Children published by Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Graphic Design: Magazine
Eric Powell for “Bay Watch” published by Garden Design/Bonnier Corporation.

Graphic Design: Newspaper
Lana Gwinn for “22 ways to be a greener gardener” published by Chicago Tribune.

Graphic Design: Cover
Elizabeth Ennis for “Drawing From Life Exhibition Catalog” published by Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

On-Air Talent: Radio
Glen O. Seibert for “GreenManRadio Podcast” aired by.
Tom Wichman for “Gardening in a Minute” aired by WUFT-FM, WJUF-FM, GardeninginaMinute.com.

On-Air Talent: Television
Paul Epsom for The Victory Garden aired by PBS/WGBH.

Overall Product: Magazine – Under 100k
Fine Gardening/Taunton Press for Plant Combinations.

Overall Product: Magazine – Over 100k
Bonnier Corporation for Garden Design Magazine: Oct./Nov. 2007.

Overall Product: Newspaper
Star Tribune for “Home & Garden”.

Overall Product: Book
Brooklyn Botanic Garden for Gardening with Children.
Texas A&M University Press for Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac.

Overall Product: Technical Book
Timber Press for Miniature Orchids.

Overall Product: Electronic Media
Brooklyn Botanic Garden for “Big City, Big Trees” published on www.bbg.org/exp/bigtrees/index.html.

Trade: Brochure
McCorkle Nurseries for “Gardener’s Confidence® Collection”.

Trade: Press Kit
Longwood Gardens for “The Indoor Children’s Garden at Longwood Gardens”.

Trade: Press release
Contech Electronics for “Elvis Estate Battles Unwanted Tourists”.

Trade: Special Project
Huntington Botanical Gardens for “C.S.I.: Conservatory Science Investigation”.


Garden Writers Association
10210 Leatherleaf Court, Manassas, VA 20111
Phone: (703) 257-1032 - Fax: (703) 257-0213