NEWS Numero uno! Hook scores 20 more VPA awards
As the Hook reported in March, its editorial staff took home 19 awards at this year's Virginia Press Association competition in Roanoke, ranking the weekly third in the state's "specialty" category and edging out such high-powered publications as the glossy bi-monthly Virginia Living Magazine, Norfolk's Port Folio Weekly, and Richmond's City Edition. Although that's a record that's hard to top, the Hook did just that at the VPAs 2005 advertising award ceremony.
The awards, announced April 29 at the convention in Roanoke, proved that the Hooks growing reputation as one of the states top weeklies is well deserved. Last year, the Hook staff garnered 15 VPA advertising awards. Not a bad showing. This year, the Hooks art/advertising departments landed a whopping 20 awards, ranking the four-year-old weekly numero uno in the state in its category, ahead of such venerable publications as Style Weekly, Loudoun Magazine, and Richmond magazine.
In total, the Hook won five first-place, nine second-place, and six third-place awards. Although former art director Chris Conklin helped out, taking home a third-place in the Food & Drug category, and a second-place in the Circulation and In-Paper category, it was new art director H. Mitchell Jarrett, along with associate art director Allison Summers and graphic designer Andy Wilkinson who garnered the lion's share.
In the Home & Garden category, Jarrett and ad rep Kate Sanders took first place for their Flowerman ad, while Summers captured second for her Reliable Security & Investigating ad.
In the Professional Services category, Summers and Hook editor Hawes Spencer took home both first and third place for their We Pump It and Martin's Hardware ads in the Rolling Stones special issue.
In the Entertainment & Lifestyles category, Wilkinson took second alone for his Fellinis #9 ad while Summers took third place for her Super Hits 94.1 ad. In that same category, Jarrett and ad rep Jamie Price snagged a second place for their Sidetracks ad.
Judges also took a shine to the Hooks in-house marketing efforts, handing Jarrett and Conklin a first-place award for the media kit.
#