By:  Janet Stiegler

The annual Cape Fear Voices/Teen Scene Awards Banquet will be held on April 15, 2023, at the WWAY TV3 Event Center, and a highlight of that banquet will be recognizing the best stories, poems, essays, and art published in the paper over the past year.

The 2022 Awards Nominating Committee consists of six volunteers:

• Janet Stiegler (chair), CFV contributor and former government analyst
• Sherrod Sturrock, CFV contributor and former community college English teacher
• Chuck Bins, CFV contributor and former journalist/PR manager
• Corey Dall, Director of Marketing at First Bank
• Laura Askue, English teacher and Journalism Club leader at BCECHS
• Leigh Ann Greeno, English teacher and Journalism Club leader at SBHS

So far, the team has held two meetings:  the first to establish our process and the second to determine the first round of selections. For the latter, each team member independently reviewed the first eleven issues and anonymously sent Janet their top three-to-five favorite in each of the nine categories (four for CFV and five for Teen Scene). Submitting anonymously ensured we would not influence each other’s choices. When we reviewed the results in mid-November, those pieces with multiple votes were bumped up to the second round. Several team members made a case for others they felt merited consideration; many of these will also be considered in the second round.

Picking out the top stories in nine categories is no easy task. The number of contributors has increased, and the sophistication of writing has improved each year. The team will meet again in December to review the finalists and any selections from the December issue. We are particularly grateful to Laura and Leigh for taking time from their busy teaching schedules to help sift through the wealth of student essays, stories, and poetry. One thing is clear:  the creation of Teen Scene and the start of journalism clubs in our local schools have done much to hone student writing and highlight the artistic talents of the next generation.