Clean Boating Manual Wins National Award

Press Release from the National Federation of Press Women: Alan Sorum of Skagway has been named a national winner in the annual National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Communications Contest.

Sorum received second place for "Clean Boating", a booklet produced for the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the category of manuals and handbooks. The publication was produced for the Alaska Seas and Coasts program.

The competition is open only to NFPW members whose work received a first place award in a state affiliate contest. Alaska Professional Communicators (APC) submitted Sorum's entry in the 2008 NFPW Communications Contest.

The NFPW national competition had 968 entries in 203 specialty categories pertaining to print journalism, radio, television and the Internet; marketing communications in multi-media; photojournalism; and authorship and editing of books. The judges were top industry professional from across the U.S. selected for their expert credentials. Judges were not associated with the NFPW or NFPW members.

Awards will be presented at the NFPW annual conference in Idaho Falls, Idaho, September 11-13.

NFPW is an organization of professional journalists and communicators. For more than 70 years, it has promoted the highest ethical standards in communications; provided professional development, youth programs and networking; and advocated for protection of First Amendment rights.

A complete list of national contest winners may be found on the NFPW web site. A list of Alaska's winners is on the Alaska Professional Communicators web site. APC has about 70 members and is based in Anchorage.

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Chugiak Mountain Eve

ONCE upon a winter’s eve, I found my person walking upon the snowy banks of some mountain carving river midway into the heart of Alaska’s Chugiak Mountain range. The air was crisp and sharp in winter’s thrall and the heavy laden branches swayed and groaned under their silvery burdens. The sky overhead shone faintly as father Sun prepared to make his bed in a hanging glacial valley far behind the realm of human comprehension. Right now he was just brushing his celestial teeth.

Peaks and ridges backlit with the dusky rose haze of alpenglow cast the whole frozen world in a pink light that warranted an argument. For none was needed. Here was a place of peace. Untouched primal beauty as it was in the old days. I felt that by even being in this magical place that I was in some way interfering in the very balance of nature. For all of the serenity and peace that was granted to me by those mountain gods of their range, alas, I was an interloper yet.

- Nicklaus Sorum