Older Persons Action Group, Inc., earned honors for its monthly, statewide publication Senior Voice recently in two national awards contests: the 28th Annual National Mature Media Awards Program and the annual awards contest of the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA).

Mature Media Awards

OPAG earned a Merit Award for its Senior Voice publication in the Mature Media Awards. Presented by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for the senior market, the contest recognizes the nation’s finest marketing, communications, educational materials and programs designed and produced for older adults. The entries were judged by a panel of mature market experts from across the United States for overall excellence of design, content, creativity and relevance to the senior market.

NAMPA awards

The NAMPA contest entries were submitted to a panel of judges from the School of Journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Senior Voice was recognized with five awards, as follows:

Senior Voice Reporter Mackenzie Stewart won a second place in the “Topical Issue” category for her story, “Senior Centers Assess After Riding Out Earthquake,” which reported on the status of facilities and the lessons learned in the wake of the quake that rocked the Anchorage area in November 2018.

Columnist Kenneth Kirk took second place in the “Senior Issues” category for his articles on legal matters. The two articles that were submitted were ““How much is that probate in the window?” and “Another Alaskan myth bites the dust.”

Correspondent Maraley McMichael won a second place award in the “Personal Essay” category for her article, “Hunting With Dad: Moose and Memories.”

Senior Voice Editor David Washburn earned a third place award in the “Editorial/Opinion” category for his essay, ““This Common Fitness Tip is a Bad Idea.”

The publication took a third place award in the “Front Cover Photo” category for local photographer Colin Tyler Bogucki’s photo (Colin Tyler Photography), which appeared on the May 2019 cover.

These winning articles can be read here on the Senior Voice website. Enter the story’s title in the search window.

Older Persons Action Group has been publishing Senior Voice for more than 40 years. The monthly newspaper, aimed at older Alaskans and their families, is distributed statewide, and is provided free to low-income seniors. Some funding is provided through a “Nutrition, Transportation and Support Services” federal and state grant managed by the State of Alaska, Department of Health and Social Services.