LOS ANGELES (March 2005) – Parenting Publications of America (PPA) gave out Editorial and Design Competition awards to parenting newspapers and magazines at a banquet on February 26, the climax of the three-day PPA Annual Convention in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Charlottesville?s own local parenting publication, AlbemarleFamily was in attendance at the convention and honored with the Bronze Award for Overall Excellence, the most highly competitive category in the annual awards. In business for 7 years, 2005 marks an incredible expansion for AlbemarleFamily as their popular magazine goes to full color and 10-issues-per-year.

PPA’s Editorial and Design Awards Competition recognizes excellence in journalism, photography and design achieved by publishers, editors, writers and designers at member publications. Prof. Daryl Moen of the University of Missouri School of Journalism coordinated the annual contest. A panel of 25 judges poured over 800 entries to choose the winners in each category. All judges have had significant professional experience.

“The purpose of the PPA awards competition is to encourage a high level of journalistic performance and service to communities by recognizing editorial excellence and outstanding visual presentation in parenting publications,” said PPA Executive Director James Dowden.

Open to all member publications, the competition was broken into circulation divisions: 30,000 or fewer, 30,001 to 54,999, and 55,000 and more. Members competed for gold, silver and bronze in 22 editorial categories, 19 design categories, four General Excellence categories (Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, Ancillary Publication and General Excellence), reflecting editorial and design.

“By developing AlbemarleFamily, we hoped to create a one-stop shop for parents to find great kid?s activities, parent groups, daytrip ideas, extensive guides to local businesses serving families and much more,” explained Jennifer Bryerton, Co-Publisher of AlbemarleFamily. “These awards are affirmation that we?re creating resources that really impact local families in a very positive way.”

Established in March 1988, PPA is a national trade association of regional parenting publications that reaches from Seattle to Boston and from Minneapolis to Miami, and to Canada and Australia. Some of the publications are tabloid newspapers; others are magazines, with 4-color, glossy covers.

Started in 1998, AlbemarleFamily is dedicated to being “The Ultimate Resource Making Parenting Easier & Growing Up Fun”. Their popular weekly web site receives over a quarter of a million hits and provides over 30,000 visitors each month with extensive community resources. In addition to the web site, AlbemarleFamily also publishes a weekly e-Newsletter, monthly print Magazine, and two Directories. AlbemarleFamily also has a “live” presence in the community that you discover when you look through their publications and see drawings and poetry from local kids, families participating at the AlbemarleFamily Events, and more.