Standardbred Canada is seeking submissions for its 2021 Media Excellence Awards, to be presented at the 2021 O'Brien Awards Virtual Gala.
There are three award categories: Outstanding Written Work, Outstanding Video, Film or Broadcast, and Outstanding Photograph.
The program is aimed at honouring those who have, through one piece of exceptional work, covered Canadian harness racing in a manner that is extraordinary and of broad national appeal.
Effective with the 2021 awards, broadcast submissions will be restricted to 15 minutes in length. (in the case of longer broadcasts, it is up to the person submitting to provide a 15 minute excerpt)
The deadline for all submissions is November 30, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). For complete details and criteria for the categories, click here.
All submissions and inquiries should be directed to:
[email protected]
905-858-3077 (Ext. 207)
The 2020 Media Excellence Award winners were:
Outstanding Written Work – Garnet Barnsdale
Garnet Barnsdale’s "Buzzworthy" column in the October 2, 2020 edition of Harness Racing Update, recalled memories and paid tribute to the late Bill Galvin, a long-time promoter and marketer of horse racing and a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Barnsdale is a freelance journalist for various harness racing publications, public handicapper for Woodbine Mohawk Park, and past President of the Canadian Chapter of USHWA (United States Harness Writers Association).
Outstanding Broadcast – Woodbine Entertainment
The Pepsi North America Cup aired on TSN on Saturday, August 29, 2020 from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. This one-hour special high-definition broadcast of the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup was produced by Woodbine Entertainment’s Broadcast Department, in partnership with TSN. Commentary was provided by Jason Portuondo and Chad Rozema of Woodbine Entertainment, and TSN’s Laura Diakun and Brodie Lawson, with the race call by WEG’s Ken Middleton.
Outstanding Photography – Clive Cohen
"Training Day" by Clive Cohen
Clive Cohen’s "Training Day" photo (above) was taken on May 27, 2020, the first day of training at Woodbine Mohawk Park after the first COVID-19 shutdown. The image was published on the Woodbine Instagram and Facebook pages. The 2020 award marked the fifth time that Cohen, the official track photographer at Woodbine Mohawk Park, won the Media Excellence Award for photography.
Submissions for award consideration must pertain to some aspect of the Canadian Standardbred racing industry. Submissions for 2021 must have been published or broadcasted for the first time, between November 1, 2020 and October 31, 2021.