BoomAthens Magazine, which launched in July 2016, won two Awards of Excellence at the North American Mature Publishers Association convention in Orlando, Fla. on Oct. 8. BoomAthens is a bi-monthly lifestyle publication and website for people 50+ in Athens and surrounding counties.

“It’s an honor to be recognized on the national level when this is our first time attending and competing,” states Publisher Betsy Bean. “We work hard to produce compelling content and pleasing design so it’s nice to know that we’re on the right track as judged by independent experts in the field.” The prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia judged the 293 entries submitted by senior magazines from around the U.S. and Canada. BoomAthens competed in the A Division, which includes magazines that have a circulation of under 20,000, winning or placing in two of the three categories for which it was submitted.

In the General Excellence category, BoomAthens placed third, with the judges writing, “A bright, welcoming cover is the first clue that reading this magazine will be an enjoyable, worthwhile journey…The design is easy to navigate, visuals are lively, and the overall look is clean and classy.”

Winning First Place in the Personal Essay category was the memoir, “Love that knows no boundaries, Letters from Vietnam, 1968, Part 2,” written by Myrna Adams West and published in the Spring 2018 issue. The judges wrote: “If you don’t laugh, if you don’t cry, if you don’t treasure the bond between brother and sister, well, that’s a shame because this column has it all. West portrays a loving family, willing to share not only their beloved, red convertible but also their fears, dreams, hopes and disappointments. Well done.”