The CWA 2019 Certificate of Excellence Winners are Announced and We're Very Surprised!

The Cat Writers’ Association has announced the winners for their 2019 Communications Contest. Last year I was very surprised at the results, but this time I was completely blown away! This year I won 14 Certificates of Excellence for the 15 entries I submitted. I’m very excited to share the top spot with my good friend Deb Barnes of Zee and Zoey. I have admired Deb and her work for many years and thought I could only aspire to be her equal in any way. To say I am extremely honored to be on par with her in the contest is an understatement.

For those who are not familiar with the Cat Writers’ Association (CWA), it’s a global, cat-centric organization that is dedicated to excellence in written, visual, and audio media. The organization is comprised of authors, photographers, videographers, graphic artists, bloggers, people on radio and television, and any other media out there, who share information about cats for the general public.

Here are my entries that won Certificates of Excellence and are finalists for the organization's coveted Muse Medallion:

 1.  Why You Should Spay/Neuter Your Cat and How You Can Afford It 

2.   It’s Lexy’s 9th Gotcha Day 

3.  Women’s Animal Center – America’s First Animal Shelter 

4.  Seven Ways to Help a Shelter Cat Without Adopting 

5.  A Shelter Cat Could Change Your Life: Adopt A Cat Month

6.  Boxie Cat – The Healthier Clay Litter 

7.  The Spacious and Comfy Cabrio Multi-Functional Cat Carrier by Catit 

8. Lola The Rescued Cat (in Blogsite/Website Rescue and Advocacy) 

9.   Rescue Stories (Column/Series)

10. Lola on the Road (Column/Series)

11. Getting Your Cat to the Vet (Column/Series) 

12. Lola The Rescued Cat Instagram (Social Media Excellence Humor & Entertainment) 

13. Special Needs Cat With Her Nip Nanner (Single Photograph)

14. Kitten in a Cat Café (Single Photograph)

Last year I worked harder than ever to create a good amount of quality content and I’m glad so much of it was recognized by my peers who I greatly admire and respect. This year I had big aspirations for the blog, but much of it has had to be put on hold because of the pandemic and the lockdown. I may not be able to produce as much this year as I did in 2019, so I’m very grateful for the banner year I have in the contest now.

A few stats about the contest. This was an excellent year for the contest and as a council member for the organization, I was very happy to see such an excellent response and a high number of entries.

• There were 446 regular category entries. 
• There were 112 individual entrants. 
• 44 winners earned 1 certificate
• 17 winners earned 2 certificates
• 12 winners earned 3 certificates
• 8 winners earned 4 certificates
• 3 winners earned 5 certificates
• 6 winners earned 6 certificates
• 1 winner earned 7 certificates
• 2 winners earned 8 certificates
• 2 winners earned 9 certificates
• 1 winner earned 10 certificates
• 1 winner earned 12 certificates
• 2 winners earned 14 certificates

It was exciting to see so many blogs in the finals compared to last year!

I’ve said several times in the past that I never had aspirations to be a writer. It all started because I adopted a sickly little cat with a raw, snotty nose who couldn’t even meow. My writing journey began with this entry on Facebook:


"I’m going home tomorrow! Everyone at the hospital is fussing over me and hugging me and telling me how happy they are for me. The hospital even posted about me on their Facebook page. I know I need my beauty sleep so I can look good for my new mom tomorrow, but I’m so excited I won’t sleep a wink!"

My intention at the time was to share my cat's stories with the hopes that it would help other cats avoid the situations Lola and Lexy found themselves in. It humbles me that I’ve been able to do that and more.

Congratulations to all of the Certificate of Excellence winners this year! Even though we can’t be together in person this year to celebrate our wins, I’m sure our virtual conference will be a blast.


I want to extend a very special congratulations to our friends at Catnip Nation for winning a Certificate of Excellence in the VIDEO OR TELEVISION PRODUCTION – RESCUE & ADVOCACY! If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll remember reading their updates and guest posts. If you have not seen the film yet, please do. It is brilliantly done and shines a light on people who work tirelessly to save cats. You can purchase the DVD on their website or stream it on Amazon Prime Video.

 

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Many thanks to all of our regular readers and visitors for inspiring me to keep writing. Paws crossed for Muse Medallion wins during the virtual conference in August. I'll keep you all posted.

Dawn