The 2020 Cat Writers' Association Certificates of Excellence

 A few weeks ago the Cat Writers' Association announced the Certificates of Excellence Winners in the 2020 Communications Contest. Similar to last year, I was blown away by the results because once again I was the top Certificate of Excellence winner. This year I was honored with 13. 

The Cat Writers’ Association (CWA), is 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. Lola and Lexy's Top 5 Household Poisons for Cats (Written Article: Health)

2. Lola and Lexy's Top 5 Tips to Get Your Finicky Cat to Eat (Written Article: Health)

3. Six Tips to Excite Your Bored Cat and Relieve Cabin Fever (Written Article: Enrichment)

4. Lola's Unspoken Story (Written Article: Rescue & Advocacy)

5. Lola and Lexy's Top 5 Reasons to Adopt a Cat (Written Article: Rescue & Advocacy)

6. Lola on the Road: PURRsonal Space - South Jersey's Cat Lounge (Written Article: Rescue & Advocacy)

7. Hauspanther's MaxScratch Oversized Cat Scratching Post & Perch (Written Article: Product Review)

8. Create a Litter Box Privacy Zone with PetFusion (Written Article: Product Review)

9.  Budget-Friendly Enrichment Ideas for Your Cat  (Video or Television Production: Lifestyle)

10. Lola and Lexy's Top Five - Series (Column/Series)

11. Rescue Stories - Series (Column/Series)

12. Will You Adopt Me? - Series (Column/Series)

13. Lola Watches the World - Photograph (Photography: Single Image)

2020 was a tough year for everyone worldwide. The lockdown during the pandemic was extremely difficult for me, and focusing on the blog was a distraction. Having muses like Lola and Lexy made some creative ideas flow easily. Now that things are getting back to normal slowly and I'm working outside of the house more frequently, writing time has decreased. I've also been studying for an exam, taking a certification course, and dealing with family issues, which also cuts down on the time I have to interact with my favorite blogs. I still have ideas for posts, though, and I'm slowly working on them. 

Here are a few stats about the contest this year: 

• There were 469 regular category entries
• There were 124 individual entrants
• Entries per category: 
• Written Article: 253
• Poetry/ Short Stories: 19 entries
• Calendars: 1 entry
• Periodical/National Circulation Publication: 4 entries
• Books: 47 entries
• Audio/Video/Webinar: 30 entries
• Blogs/websites: 16 entries
• Column/series: 14 entries
• Social Media Excellence: 16 entries
• Photography: 43 entries
• Other visual art: 32 entries

It's truly an honor to be recognized as a certificate winner in such a large pool of extremely talented professionals.  Paws crossed for a Muse Medallion win at the virtual conference in October. 

Many thanks to all of our readers who inspire me to keep this blog going, even when I feel like giving up. I appreciate all of your comments and feedback, and the time you take to visit. Purrs and hugs to all of you. 

Dawn