Pennsylvania Press Club | Communications Contest

Walter Brasch won the 2012 Pennsylvania Press Club Sweepstakes Award, and was also honored
as “Communicator of the Year.” With him at the 2012 awards luncheon at the Farnsworth Tavern
in Gettysburg is Pennsylvania Press Club President Pat Ryder

Winners — 2012 Pennsylvania Communications Contest

Each January Pennsylvania Press Club members are invited to enter their best work in the state communications contest, which encourages and rewards excellence in communication.

The contest is open to all Pennsylvania Press Club members, providing an opportunity to compete in a broad range of categories.

First-place winners in the state competition are eligible for entry in the National Federation of Press Women National Communications Contest.

Walter M. Brasch won the Pennsylvania Press Club 2012 Sweepstakes Award for his 13 awards in the statewide contest, and was also honored by the club with its "Communicator of the Year” award.

Eleven members of the Pennsylvania Press Club went on to win 21 awards in the national contest in 2012:

Bonnie Lee Strunk, Allentown – One first place, two second places, one third place
Johanna S. Billings, Danielsville — One first place
Kim de Bourbon, Delaware Water Gap — One second place, two third places
Kay Stephens, Altoona — One first place, one third place, two honorable mentions
Katherine Noll and Cynthia Tintorri, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem – One second place
Michelle Eider, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem – One first place, Collegiate division
Tresita M. Beach, Saylorsburg – One first place, one third place
Myra Saturen, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem – One honorable mention
Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg – One second place
Jean Korten, Lititz – One third place
Donald Serfass, Tamaqua – One second place, one third place

Here is the list of statewide winners in the 2012 contest, for entries published or broadcast between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011. Entries which went on to win in the national contest are indicated in red.

1A News Reporting, Non-Daily Newpaper

2nd | Paul Bealer, Hellertown

1B News Reporting, Daily Newspaper

*1st | National first place | Kay Stephens, Altoona

2 Continuing Coverage or Unfolding News

1st | Bonnie Lee Strunk, Allentown

3 Investigative Reporting

1st | Kay Stephens, Altoona

4 Enterprise Reporting

1st | Johanna Billings, Danielsville
2nd | Dave Skolnik, Allentown, and Sean Billings, Danielsville
3rd | Johanna Billings, Danielsville

6A Editorial/Opinion, Non-Daily Newspapers

1st | Paul Bealer, Hellertown

6B Editorials/Opinion, Daily Newspapers

*1st | National third place | | Kay Stephens, Altoona

7A Feature Story, Non-Daily Newspaper

1st | Donnalee LaRose, Whitehall
2nd | Johanna Billings, Danielsville
3rd | Kathy Rembisz, Allentown
Honorable mention | Paul Bealer, Hellertown

7B Feature Story, Daily Newspaper

*1st | National third place | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua
2nd | Kay Stephens, Altoona
3rd | Linda Koehler, Effort

7C Feature Story, Other Publications

1st | Kim de Bourbon, Delaware Water Gap
2nd | Cynthia Tintorri, Bethlehem

8B Personality Profile, More Than 500 Words

*1st | National second place | Bonnie Lee Strunk, Allentown
2nd | Kay Stephens, Altoona
3rd | Myra Saturen, Bethlehem

9A Specialty Articles, Business

1st | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua
2nd | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg
3rd | Kay Stephens, Altoona

9B Specialty Articles, Agriculture/Agribusiness

1st | Johanna Billings, Danielsville
2nd | Linda Koehler, Effort

9C Specialty Articles, Arts and Entertainment

1st | Linda Koehler, Effort
2nd | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

9D Specialty Articles, Health and Fitness

*1st | National honorable mention | Kay Stephens, Altoona
2nd | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua
3rd | Johanna Billings, Danielsville

9E Specialty Articles, Education

1st | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

9G Specialty Articles, Food

1st | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

9H Specialty Articles, Government and Politics

*1st | National honorable mention | Kay Stephens, Altoona
2nd | Paul Bealer, Hellertown
Honorable mention | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

9I Specialty Articles, History

1st | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua
2nd | Linda Koehler, Effort
3rd | Kay Stephens, Altoona
Honorable mention | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua

9L Specialty Articles, Religion

1st | Linda Koehler, Effort
2nd | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

9N Specialty Articles, Social Issues

9O Specialty Articles, Sports

*1st | National third place | Jean Korten, Lititz

9P Specialty Articles, Hobby/Craft

1st | Linda Koehler, Effort
2nd | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua
3rd | Linda Koehler, Effort

9Q Specialty Articles, Travel

*1st | National second place | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua

9S Speciality Articles, Green/Environment

1st | Kay Stephens, Altoona
2nd | Johanna Billings, Danielsville

10A Columns, Humorous

10B Columns, General

1st | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg
2nd | Bonnie Lee Strunk, Allentown
3rd | Linda Koehler, Effort
Honorable mention | Jean Korten, Lititz

10C Columns, Informational, How To

*1st | National third place | Bonnie Lee Strunk, Allentown
2nd | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua

10D Columns, Personal Opinion

15A Publications Edited by Entrant (Non-Daily Newspaper)

*1st | National first place | Johanna Billings, with Scott Pagel, Paul Willistein, Dave Rowe and Elsa Kerschner – Northhampton Press, Aug. 18 and Nov. 3
2nd | Johanna Billings, with Scott Pagel, Paul Willistein and Dave Rowe – Whitehall-Coplay Press, May 12 and June 23

16C Page Layout, Publication/Magazine

*1st | National third place | Kim de Bourbon, Delaware Water Gap – Alumni Herald, East Stroudsburg University

17A Headline Writing

1st | Paul Bealer, Hellertown
2nd | Johanna Billings, Danielsville

18A Photography, Non-Daily Newspaper, News Photo

Honorable mention | Sean Billings, Danielsville

18B Photography, Non-Daily Newspaper, Feature Photo

18E Photography, Non-Daily, Photo Essay

*1st | National first place | Bonnie Lee Strunk, Allentown
2nd | Johanna Billings, Danielsville

19A Photography, Daily Newspaper, News Photo

1st | Kay Stephens, Altoona

19B Photography, Daily Newspaper, Feature Photo

3rd | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua

19E Photography, Daily Newspaper, Photo Essay

1st | Kay Stephens, Altoona

22 Photographer/Writer

1st | Donnalee Rose, Whitehall
2nd | Bonnie Lee Strunk, Allentown
3rd | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua
Honorable mention | Johanna Billings, Danielsville,

27 Personal Column On the Air or Critic's Review

*1st | National second place | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

32A Writing for Web, Content for Non-profit, Government

*1st | National honorable mention | Myra Saturen, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem

32D Writing for the Web, News Article

3rd | Cynthia Tintorri, Bethlehem

32E Writing for the Web, Feature Article

1st | Cynthia Tintorri, Bethlehem
2nd | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

34A Web Site Development, Not-For-Profit

*1st | National third place | Kim de Bourbon, Delaware Water Gap – Historical Association of Tobyhanna Township

34B Web Site Development, Corporate/For-Profit

*1st | National second place | Kim de Bourbon, Delaware Water Gap – The Hagstrom Report
2nd | Diana Saavedra, Pittsburgh

37A Social Media Campaign, Not-For-Profit

*1st | National second place | Katherine Noll and Cynthia Tintorri, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem

38A Videos For Website, Not-For-Profit

1st | Adam Atkinson, Bethlehem

38B Videos For Website, Corporate/For-Profit

2nd | Diana Saavedra, Pittsburgh, and Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

56A Direct Mail Marketing, Print, Single Campaign

1st | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

63A Collegiate Feature Writing, Newspaper, Magazine or Supplement

*1st | National first place | Michelle Eider, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem

75F Non-Fiction Book, Humorous

*1st | National first place | Tresita M. Beach, Saylorsburg

75H Non-Fiction Book, Religious/Inspirational

1st | Tresita M. Beach, Saylorsburg

76 Fiction, Novel (40,000 Words and Up)

1st | Walter Brasch, Bloomsburg

80A Creative Verse, Single Entries

1st | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua
2nd | Donald Serfass, Tamaqua