Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 Media Excellence Awards, which will be presented at the O’Brien Awards Gala on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale in Mississauga, Ont.
Now in its 17th year, the Media Excellence Awards program honours those who have, through one piece of exceptional work, covered Canadian harness racing extraordinarily and of broad national appeal.
Ontario Racing is sponsoring the Media Excellence Awards for the ninth consecutive year.
The Outstanding Written Work category finalists are John Rallis and Keith McCalmont.
John Rallis is a finalist for his feature, “A ‘Moment’ So Well Deserved.” The story, published in the 2024 September edition of TROT Magazine, details Yannick Gingras’s tumultuous journey to the Hambletonian winner's circle that year with Karl.
Keith McCalmont is a finalist for his feature, “Kenny.” The story, which was featured in the December 2023 issue of TROT Magazine, tells the personal and physical struggle of longtime Woodbine Mohawk Park track announcer Ken Middleton’s rehab following a training accident that nearly left him paralyzed or dead.
The Outstanding Video, Film or Broadcast category finalists are Horse Racing Alberta & Shine Light Entertainment and Cujo Entertainment.
The 2022 winners of this award, Horse Racing Alberta & Shine Light Entertainment, are nominated for their video, "Women in Standardbred Racing." Their video feature, produced by Jeff Robillard of Horse Racing Alberta and Mike Little of Shine Light Entertainment, was posted on the Horse Racing Alberta website and social media channels on Oct. 25, 2024. This video highlights the outstanding women in the Standardbred industry.
Ontario-based Cujo Entertainment is a finalist for its excerpt of the "CBS Hambletonian Show," a one-hour broadcast covering the 99th edition of the Hambletonian from The Meadowlands. The broadcast was produced and executed by a talented and dedicated team of only nine individuals, including producer Curtis MacDonald, technical producer Cameron Chick, and co-producer/director Luke Van Belkom. It was hosted by the dynamic trio of Greg Blanchard, Emily Gaskin and Michael Carter.
The finalists in the Outstanding Photography category are father and son, Clive and Jacob Cohen.
Defending champion and eight-time winner Clive Cohen is a finalist in 2024 for his photograph, "Fiery Sunset." The photo was taken on June 29, 2024, at Woodbine Mohawk Park and published on June 29, 2024, on the Woodbine Mohawk Park Facebook, Instagram and X feeds.
"Full Flower Moon" was taken by Jacob Cohen on May 23, 2024, at Woodbine Mohawk Park and published on May 23, 2024, on the Woodbine Mohawk Park Facebook, Instagram and X feeds.
The six finalists were the top two point-earners in their respective categories. The winners will be announced at the 36th O’Brien Awards.
Standardbred Canada would like to extend its thanks and appreciation to everyone who submitted entries for the Media Excellence Awards and to all the volunteer judges and Ontario Racing for its continued support and sponsorship of the program.
Judges in the Outstanding Written Work category included Fred MacDonald, editor of Atlantic Post Calls, John Stapleton, former president of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and Kathy Wade Vlaar, communications consultant and a director of the Bill Galvin Racing Alliance.
Jim Bannon, a veteran multifaceted journalist and member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and Randy Steinman, former sportscasters with NewsRadio and CTV, were the Outstanding Video, Film or Broadcast judges.
The submissions for the Outstanding Photography category were scored by Skip Dickstein, a past Eclipse Award winner and staff photographer at the Albany Times Union, Brandon Hall, executive assistant with the Ontario Equine Federation, and Shawn Hamilton, owner of CLiX Photography, whose passion for photographing horses has landed her photos on the covers and inside magazines such as Corinthian Horse Sport magazine, The Canadian Horsemen, Horse Canada and Equus.
To see a list of past winners of the Media Excellence Awards, click here.
(Standardbred Canada)