The first of these publications, The Best of the Crescent City Jewish News, is published semi-annually and regurgitates many of the local articles and obituaries originally published online. The second is an annual community resource guide, SOURCE, containing several original articles revolving about a specific theme.
SOURCE 5774, published in 2013, won first place honors in the Infographics writing category of the Press Club of New Orleans in 2014. We followed up with SOURCE 5775, with a music theme, which garnered first place in Entertainment writing in 2015 for a feature on local performer Valerie Sassyfras and a third place award for Features writing ("Jews and Jazz") as well. In both cases, the articles were written by me to inform the local Jewish community and to document our history.
It would seem that writing should be a means towards an end - an opportunity to put down in a concise and reasonable fashion all that could or should be said about a topic. The satisfaction one derives from effectively communicating an idea or thought so that others can gain a different perspective or enhance their own should be enough for a writer.
But these days self-approbation is not nearly enough. In the quest for excellence, publications or media are pitted against one another desirous of the distinction of being called "award-winning." The cost of submissions are usually high, but the pressure to be singled out as among the very best cannot be overstated.
That said, if the truth be known, there is no greater pleasure for me than first to compose the words of a review, article or commentary that ring true in my own ears. How well they are received by others is an exterior vindication of my worth as a writer, but not what drives me to write internally. I know that many of my best pieces have never been considered for awards or fall outside the range of specific categories. So my biggest reward is in having written a piece to the best of my abilities and being able to move on to the next task.
Awards are nice, but they cannot be the sole criterion for a writer's production. Were I to start writing strictly to win awards, I might never want to write again. So, while recognizing the pitfalls associated with entering these journalistic competitions, I do so with the intent of promoting my brand, not myself.
We are already an award-winning publication. To win a coveted Rockower Award - something we have never done - would be very special. But that is up to other judges to determine and puts us up against hundreds of other entries. So, while I hold out hope, I know the likelihood of a win is dim and I console myself with the knowledge I have and will continue to do the best job I can while writing under the pressure of my own imposed deadlines.
