2006 SOUTHAM AWARDS COMPETITION SETS NEW RECORD

February 15, 2007, Miami, FL – Winners of the annual 2006 John Southam Awards for Excellence in Sailing Communications were announced by Chief Judge Sally Helme at the Miami International Boat Show and Strictly Sail Press Conference today.

In its 14th year, The Southam Awards broke records with 271 submissions -- 108 more than the previous year -- generating 172,341,376 media impressions. Judges awarded seven cash prizes totaling $11,000 in a broad mix of categories including print, broadcast, books and online/internet media..

The $5000 Grand Prize award and crystal sailboat was won by Laura Manske in the Magazines category for her article, “Our Favorite Summer Vacation,”published in the August 2006 issue of Family Circle. The article, with its 4.3 million circulation, featured the intriguing account of a family learning to sail at a school in Florida and invited readers to try sailing themselves. 

$1000 category winners included former Southam Grand Prize Winner Eileen Ogintz for the Columns category for her nationally syndicated column entitled, “Taking the Kids,” which reached over 10 million readers via Tribune Media Services distribution; Jane Lerner in the Newspapers Over 100,000 category for her article, “A Sport You Can do Forever’” published in the Journal News of West Nyack, NY – the Hudson River Valley Region with a circulation of 139,756; Barbara Veneri  for the Newspapers Under 100,000 category for her article, “All Aboard” which ran in The Standard Times of New Bedford; Captain Bill Pinkney in the Books category, for “As long As It Takes,” an autobiography that chronicles his life and culminates with his solo circumnavigation as he became the first African American to achieve this distinction; Gary Jobson in the Expanded Outlets category, for his 2006 lecture series including 116 presentations to an estimated combined audience of 31,000; and The Oceanside Yacht Club of Oceanside, CA for the Website category, www.oceansideyc.com for successfully utilizing their website as a key outreach tool in their community, which helped to attract 57 new members.

2006 Southam Awards

“Since our introduction of this award in 1992 to the media, the overall quality, diversity and breadth of coverage of sailing continues to improve,” said Helme. “The entries were of very good quality and covered all shapes and size of sailing craft, with sailors of all skill levels and ages. Just like the sport and lifestyle of sailing, the 2006 entries showed that sailing has something to offer everyone.”

The winning entries will be posted on the www.southamaward.com website the week of February 19, 2007. For more information please contact Southam Contest Administrator Patti Velsor at Kenton Smith Advertising & Public Relations, Inc., telephone: 407 856-6680 or email patti@kentonsmithadv.com