Scott McMurren, Peter Dunlap-Shohl, and Mr. Whitekeys will be featured speakers this fall at luncheons hosted by Alaska Professional Communicators. Luncheons are held the first Thursday of each month and address a variety of topics related to the communications field. Reservations can be made online at www.akprocomm.org.

September 3 — Scott McMurren, a travel writer, on using social media and new media

October 1 — Political cartoonist Peter Dunlap-Shohl addresses how limits enhanced his creativity

November 5 — author/humorist/musician Mr. Whitekeys (topic TBA)

Get ready for the 2009 Communications Contest! Rules, categories and an official entry form are now available. Please mark February 5, 2009 on your calendar as the contest deadline.

On Thursday, May 1, Alaska Professional Communicators announced the results of the professional communications contest, the high school journalism contest, and the scholarship award winners.

2008 Communications Contest:
Winners included Sheila Balistreri, Kalei Brooks, Diana Haecker, Therese Harvey, Mary Katzke and Deborah Schildt, Beth Leffingwell, Steven Levi, Chuck Maas, Ginny Mahar, Rhonda McBride, Amy Murphy, Dianne O’Connell, Elise Patkotak, Yereth Rosen, Aliza Sherman Risdahl, Sherrie Simmonds, Alan Sorum, Dana Stabenow, Kathy Tarr, Linda Kay Thompson, Steve Wolfe

Complete list of award winners.

2008 High School Journalism contest:

Complete winner list.

2008 Scholarship Winners:

Katie McCraw, a sophomore at Alaska Pacific University majoring in Liberal Studies, is currently a reporter and the photo editor of the school newspaper, the APU Journal, and excels in creative writing.

Todd Walker, a sophomore at the University of Alaska Anchorage majoring in Journalism and Public Communications, works as a reporter at KRUA radio and is a web writer and weekend newscast producer at KTUU-TV.

“Art’s long, though time is short.”

–Robert Browning

Time is indeed getting short for you who are thinking of entering the APC Communications Contest for 2008. It’s open to APC members and to nonmembers who are Alaska residents. Our contest has 78 categories in journalism, public relations, web writing, photography, literary work, and more.

Judges are out-of-state professionals who give feedback to each entry. First-place winners’ entries go to the National Federation of Press Women contest. (If you’re not a member and your entry wins at the state level, you must join APC to have your entry sent to the national contest; this is a NFPW rule.)

As of Jan. 10, we already have five entries!

DEADLINES

• Thursday, January 31 for books and related categories (72-78)

• Friday, February 8 for general entries (The APC luncheon on Feb. 7 would be an ideal time to hand your entry to a member of the contest committee)

Entries must be postmarked by the deadline date if mailed.

Forms and more info

Best of luck in the contest– your contest committee (feel free to contact any member of the contest committee with questions):

Carolyn Rinehart, coordinator, (907) 345-3961; ccrinehart at gci.net
Elise Patkotak
Kay Vreeland
Amy Murphy

Have you done something at work this past year that you’re proud of? Ever wonder how it would stack up against the best in Alaska and in the nation? Then the Alaska Professional Communicators’ contest is for you.

Alaska Professional Communicators, formerly Alaska Press Women, is made up of both women and men in journalism, writing, broadcasting, public relations, and related fields. For more than 30 years the organization has offered a contest in many categories of communication, with winning entries going to the national competition run by the National Federation of Press Women.

This year for the first time the contest will be open to all Alaska resident communicators, not just APC members. The contest includes 78 categories for print journalists, book authors, broadcasters, researchers, and more. There’s a separate Collegiate Contest for undergraduate college students.

Winners get feedback from recognized experts from outside Alaska, as well as certificates and recognition from their peers. Entry fees are low–$20 for APC members, $30 for nonmembers.

Complete contest information

Deadlines: February