Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) communicators capped an excellent spring awards season by capturing seven prizes in the 2012 DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards sponsored by the Religion Communicators Council (RCC).

 The awards were announced at the RCC’s annual convention banquet here on the same night that PC(USA)-related journalists captured 18 awards from the Associated Church Press (ACP).

 Presbyterians Today won two RCC awards, both Awards of Excellence (first place):

  • in the overall publication design category for the June-July 2012 issue, awarded to former editor Eva Stimson and former art director Shellee Layman Jones; and
  • in the single magazine article category for “The Gun Crisis,” written by Chris Herlinger and edited by Stimson.

Mission Resources won four awards ― two Awards of Excellence and two Awards of Merit (second place):

  • an Award of Excellence for the “Water Way” brochure, Shellee Layman Jones and Alyssa Harley, designers;
  • an Award of Excellence for the Daily Prayer App, designed by Dana McMahan and Thommy Browne;
  • an Award of Merit for the Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, Billie Healy, editor;
  • an Award of Merit for the advertisement “Facing Seminary Debt? Financial Aid for Service Can Help,” Carol Johnson, designer.

HORIZONS won an Award of Merit in the periodicals-single issue category for its November-December issue, created by Susan Jackson-Dowd, Laura Lee, Sharon Dunne Gillies and Betsy Ensign-George

The RCC bills itself as “an international interfaith association of religion communicators who work in print and electronic communication, media, marketing and public relations.”