Friday, Aug. 10 was a busy day for our staff
as we took to the road to Orlando for the
Florida Press Association Better Weekly
Newspaper contest and the Florida Magazine
Association Charley Awards, where we took
home six awards, including two out of three
places for best in-depth reporting.
Editor Marcy Shortuse received a silver and
bronze recognition in that category for her stories
called “A Tale of Three Sisters: The Struggle Over
a Tiny Island Paradise” and “Handling Irma: How
an Island Came Together.”
Shortuse also received a bronze award in the
“Best Feature” category for her story titled, “The
Spooky Side of Gasparilla Island,” and a silver
award in the “Best Photography” category.
Writer Sue Erwin received a bronze award in
the “Best Public Service Coverage” category for
her story called “Captains for Clean Water,” and
Skip Perry and Christine Cunningham took home
a silver award in the “Best Design: Use of Photography”
category.
The awards ceremony was held on Friday
night, August 11, at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek
Resort in Orlando.
“We are very happy the judges appreciated
our work,” Hopkins said. “While winning awards
wasn’t the main reason we created Gasparilla
Magazine in 2013, it’s very nice to be recognized.
We hope to shine even brighter next year
at the Charlie Awards.”
November/December 2018 GASPARILLA ISLAND 83