Editor earns three Arizona Press Women awards

Green Valley News

Karen Walenga, special projects editor for the Green Valley News, is a winner in the Arizona Press Women’s 2008 Communications Contest.

Walenga earned a first-place award for editing the 2007 Sahuarita High School graduation supplement, which was published in the Sahuarita Sun newspaper.

She also earned a first-place award for editing a la mode, a quarterly magazine of living, style and taste published by the Green Valley News.

In addition, Walenga took second place for the editing the 2007 issue of Discover Southern Arizona, an annual visitors guide published by the Green Valley News and one of its the sister publications, the Nogales International.

First-place entries go on to compete in this year’s National Federation of Press Women’s communications contest, with awards to be presented in September at the annual NFPW conference in Idaho.

Walenga, a resident of Sahuarita Heights, has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona and has worked in the journalism industry for 24 years.

Arizona Press Women, affiliated with the National Federation of Press Women, held its 55th annual conference May 10 at the Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale.

Approximately 45 writing, editing, photography, book publishing and Web site awards were presented to APW members.

The Arizona Newspapers Association award for outstanding writing went to freelance writer Gail Fisher, whose work has appeared in USA Today and Scottsdale Magazine.

The 2008 Sweepstakes award went to Candace Hughes for her work in the Casa Grande Dispatch and Pinal Ways magazine.