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2015-03-24: ASJA 2015 Writing Award Winners

March 24, 2015, New York, NY -- The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) announces the recipients of its annual writing awards, honoring the outstanding nonfiction work produced on a freelance basis during the past year.

All are welcome to the ASJA Awards Gala on Thursday, at the Roosevelt Hotel. It's part of ASJA2015: Connect for Success, ASJA's annual writers conference, which brings together 500+ independent writers, editors, agents and publishers. Several winners are part of the conference program. Tickets for the Gala, and full Conference information is available here.

2015 ASJA Awards -- Outstanding Book Prizes

Children's or Young Adult

Side-by-Side Baseball Stars by Matt Chandler

General Nonfiction

Shortcut: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas by John Pollack

Honorable Mention: Murderous Minds: Exploring the Criminal Psychopathic Brain: Neurological Imaging and the Manifestation of Evil by Dean A. Haycock

Memoir or Biography

Unstill Life by Gabrielle Selz

Honorable Mention: The Bosnia List by Kenan Trebincevic and Susan Shapiro

Service or Self-Help

The Recovery Book by Catherine Dold and Howard Eisenberg

Honorable Mention: The Digital Mystique by Sarah Granger

2015 ASJA Awards -- Periodical Prizes

* denotes categories open to the public

Arlene Eisenberg Award for an Article that Makes a Difference *

"Light Bulb Moments for a Nonprofit" by Christine Larson for The New York Times

June Roth Award for Medical Writing

"America's Getting the Science of Sun Exposure Wrong" by Jessica Seigel for Nautilus

Donald Robinson Award for Investigative Journalism *

"Angels of Death" by Dan Patterson for Contently.org

Business/Technology Science

"Comprehension Test" by Rachael Moeller Gorman for Proto magazine

Honorable Mention: "The Coward" by Caren Chesler for Aeon

Dramatic Narrative

"Haiyan Diary" by David Page for TakePart.com

First Person

Why I Can't Be My Son's Mother" by Shannon S. Miller for Scholastic Parent and Child

Lifestyle

"The Re-birth of Awe" by Todd Pitock for National Geographic Traveler

Op-Ed

"Amsterdam's Anne Frank Industry" by Todd Pitock for Haaretz

Personal Essay or Opinion

"I Fought (and lost) the Battle Against Christmas" by Caren Chesler for Salon

Profiles

"Rolling with Michael Herklots" by Thomas Bedell for Celebrated Living

Honorable Mention: "There's Money in Grumpy Cat" by Cristina Rouvalis for Hemispheres

Reporting on a Significant Topic

"Prescription for Death" by Vince Beiser for Playboy magazine

Honorable Mention: "New Hope for Soldiers Disfigured in War" by Liza Gross for Discover Magazine

Service

"Clucked" by Rachael Moeller Gorman for Men's Health

Trade

"Thank You For Not Smoking" by Tori DeAngelis for APA Monitor on Psychology

About ASJA

ASJA is the professional association of independent nonfiction writers. Founded in 1948, its more than 1200 members have each met exacting standards of professional achievement. For more information, visit asja.org.

 

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  • A blank piece of paper is God's way of telling us how hard it is to be God.
    – Sidney Sheldon
  • A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car.
    – Kenneth Tynan
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    – Richard Curtis
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  • Writing a novel is like paddling from Boston to London in a bathtub. Sometimes the damn tub sinks. It's a wonder that most of them don't.
    – Stephen King
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    – Chang–rae Lee
  • Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.
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