you, the columnist
By Dave Lieber
Dallas Morning News columnist
A good awards banquet is not only about award winners but also about the spirit of the organization.
Our 2018 awards banquet captured the strong playful spirit of our group along with many surprises.
From a potential presidential candidate in the audience (Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, spouse of Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award winner Connie Schultz) to a medical doctor winner whose work goes viral on … wait for it … LinkedIn, we had lots of fun discovering the many talents in that ballroom that night in Cincinnati.
Our annual contest is The Oscars of Column Writing. With eight categories, we’re the largest column-writing contest in the known universe. And don’t forget the College Columnist scholarship we created in 1999, now entering its 21st year.
By all rights, with so many cuts in our industry, our group should have folded long ago. But as a member for 27 years, I raise my right hand and swear our organization feels stronger than ever. It’s all in the fun.
All this by way of inviting you to step back in time and attend our 2018 banquet. That’s right. The last one.
I took the audio from the 38-minute awards ceremony and added 90 photos from ace photographer Cynthia Borris and – voila – enjoy a video of our awards ceremony HERE .
The personalities of our winners shine. Some are nationally famous. Others soon will be.
Here’s the link or click on the video below. Share with your columnist/blogger pals. Show them what we’re about.
P.S. After the event, Sen. Brown wrote a letter of congratulations. He said he and Connie had fun.
We did, too. It’s all in the fun.
Dave Lieber is The Watchdog investigative columnist for The Dallas Morning News . DaveLieber.org @DaveLieber .