U.S. Army Europe salutes its top print, broadcast journalists of 2008

By U.S. Army Europe, Public Affairs OfficeFebruary 3, 2009

U.S. Army Europe salutes its top print, broadcast journalists of 2008
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HEIDELBERG, Germany -- U.S. Army Europe honors its outstanding print and broadcast journalists with the announcement today of winners in the USAREUR level of the Army's 2008 Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Journalism Awards Competition.

The competition salutes excellence among the Soldiers and civilian employees throughout USAREUR who produce print and broadcast programming, articles, photographs, graphic art and Web-based products to inform and entertain the Army audience. The annual contest is named for a World War II Medal of Honor recipient and former Army Chief of Information who was killed in action in Vietnam.

First-place winners in each category of the USAREUR competition move forward to compete at Army level, and may later vie for Department of Defense-wide honors.

This year's big winner in the broadcast categories is Sgt. Jonathan Pruett of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs Office, who earned first-place awards in the radio and television spot production categories.

Christian Marquardt of the Joint Multinational Training Command earned two awards as well -- a first place in the television information program category, and a second place for television spot production (produced at Visual Information Service Europe).

The second-place award for radio spot production went to VISE's Robert A. Kramer, while Nate Allen of VISE took third-place honors in the television spot production category.

Pruett, Allen and VISE's Don Finlay earned Honorable Mentions in the television spot production category.

In the print categories, the 5th Signal Command PAO took top honors for the Echo, which was named USAREUR's best magazine for the second consecutive year. A duo of command information products produced by the Mannheim, Germany-based command also earned first and second places in the special achievement in print media category.

Angelika Lantz of the 21st TSC PAO earned first-place honors in the print news article category. Spc. Crystal Abbott of Italy's Southern European Task Force PAO took second place for news, and Honorable Mention went to Sgt. Fay Conroy of the 21st TSC.

In the feature articles category, Capt. Stephen Barker of the 18th Engineer Brigade earned an Honorable Mention.

Another 5th Signal Command member, Sgt. Brandon Spragins, and 21st TSC's Sgt. Fay Conroy, earned Honorable Mentions for their entries in the single or stand-alone photograph category.

SETAF PAO Soldiers won top honors in the photojournalism category, with Staff Sgt. David Hopkins taking first place and Spc. Crystal Abbott earning second place.

Sgt. Brandon Spragins of 5th Signal Command was awarded first place in the published art or graphics category.

Staff Sgt. Tyrone Basnight of the 21st TSC PAO earned first place in the category for photographs provided to a publication by a stringer.

21st TSC PAO also earned first place in the Web-based publications category.

The winners were selected over a four-day judging period by a panel of six experienced military and civilian print and broadcast journalists from Army public affairs and news organizations across Europe.