Abbotsford News reporters Vikki Hopes and Ben Lypka were recognized by the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspaper Association over the weekend.
Hopes received a silver in the multimedia feature story category, while Lypka earned bronze in arts and culture writing and multimedia feature story.
Hopes’ story, titled It’s the Wild West in there: Abbotsford homeless camp causes health and safety concerns, examined the issues surrounding the controversial Lonzo Road homeless camp.
It was published on May 11, 2023 and featured video, photos and detailed information from the Abbotsford Police Department. The following month saw the provincial government announce the camp would be dismantled and a new 50-bed temporary shelter would be built on the site.
RELATED: ‘It’s the Wild West in there’: Abbotsford homeless camp causes health and safety concerns
Lypka’s story, titled CHARTS: Abbotsford Canucks popularity growing according to Google Trends, took a look at the popularity of the local American Hockey League team through Google Trends data.
He compared the Abbotsford Canucks on a year-by-year basis and also with other nearby professional and junior sports franchises. It was published on July 15, 2023.
RELATED: CHARTS: Abbotsford Canucks popularity growing according to Google Trends
Lypka’s bronze in the arts and culture writing category was titled Abbotsford’s Robert Bateman Art Activism class exploring women’s issues at art show.
The June 13, 2023 story followed the Robert Bateman Secondary School’s Art Activism class as they prepared for an art show inspired by women’s issues.
RELATED: Abbotsford’s Robert Bateman Art Activism class exploring women’s issues at art show
The awards ceremony was held at the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver, and attended by media professionals from across the B.C. and Yukon. on April 20.
The awards are also referred to as the Ma Murrays, and are named for Margaret “Ma” Murray, a Canadian newspaper editor, publisher and columnist who was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1971.
The awards’ 45 categories cover all aspects of the newspaper industry, recognizing excellence in production, publishing, reporting, editing, advertising, photography, website design, community contribution by community news organizations, and lifetime achievement throughout British Columbia and Yukon.