May 2, 2013
Vancouver, BC – Langara's Journalism Program garnered multiple award nominations this month from the Canadian Association of Journalists, National Magazine Awards Foundation, and Western Magazine. Congratulations to Journalism student Carly Wignes and Department Chair Frances Bula for being recognized for their journalistic excellence.
Wignes, a recent graduate of Langara's Journalism Program, has been nominated for two awards for her series in The Tyee, "Treaty Troubles: Colonial Obstacles to Settling Claims in BC". The series traces the roots of claims and treaty negotiations to colonial control in BC. To provide a more comprehensive picture of how these disputes and settlements affected the community, she interviewed First Nations people, anthropologists, treaty negotiators, and other experts. This project was funded by the Jeani Read-Michael Mercer Scholarship for Journalism Students, endowed in honour of late Province columnist Jeani Read by her husband, the late screenwriter Michael Mercer. Wignes is a contender for two awards:
• Canadian Association of Journalists Award: 2012 Student Award of Excellence
• Western Magazine Award: New Writer Award
"I'm thrilled to be nominated for these awards," said Wignes. "As a British Columbian, I think it's important to understand the topic I wrote about for The Tyee, and I hope this nomination encourages more people to read the articles."
Beyond training young journalists and leading the Journalism Department, Bula writes for Vancouver magazine, Vancouver Sun, The Globe and Mail, and runs a local blog. Specializing in urban issues and city politics, Bula is well-known in the industry and community. Her work in Vancouver Magazine has earned her five nominations:
• National Magazine Award, Column: Urban Fix
• Western Magazine Award, Column: Urban Fix
• Western Magazine Award, Best Article: How I Lost my Mother
• Western Magazine Award, Human Experience: How I Lost my Mother
• Western Magazine Award, Science/Technology/Medicine: No Asylum
"I'm honoured to be included with all the stellar candidates in my categories," said Bula. "These awards are important because they celebrate and reward the good journalism that is still prevalent this country. As a teacher, I'm especially proud to see what Carly has done with her training at Langara."
About Langara's Journalism Program
Langara's Journalism Program has earned a reputation as the top school for intensive, hands-on training that leads to exciting careers in the media and related fields. Students gain the varied skills important for success in a multimedia world. Langara's graduates get jobs on daily and community newspapers, radio and TV stations, websites, magazines, and public relations firms.
About the Awards
The Canadian Association of Journalists runs an annual awards program recognizing the best in Canadian journalism, with a particular focus on journalism that is investigative in nature. The awards banquet takes place May 3-5 during the National Conference event in Ottawa.
The National Magazine Awards recognizes and promote excellence in the content and creation of Canadian print and digital publications through an annual program of awards and national publicity efforts. The Gala takes place each June in Toronto. Each year, more than 2000 submissions are received.
The Western Magazine Awards honours and celebrates editorial excellence in Western Canadian magazine writing, photography, illustration and art direction. The annual Awards Gala will be held on June 21 in Vancouver.
Learn more.
Sylvia Tan
Communications Officer
Communications & Marketing
T 604.323.5961
stan@langara.bc.ca