Sovereign Awards media finalists announced

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Keith McCalmont, of the Woodbine Entertainment Group’s media communications department, is among this year’s finalists in the Sovereign Award writing category.

The finalists in each of the three media categories were announced Thursday by the Jockey Club of Canada. The winners will be announced at the annual Sovereign Awards gala here Friday, April 19, on the eve of the of the 2013 Woodbine meeting.

McCalmont is the author of the blog, “Triple Dead Heat” which appears on the Woodbine web site, and is a freelance contributor to several racing publications. His nominated story, “Chief New Tell tells all,” appeared in “Down the Stretch” magazine.

Ontario-based freelance writer Alex Campbell, for his piece “Questions in Canada” which was published on the Blood-Horse website, and Denise Ryan, for a story on jockey Mario Gutierrez which appeared in the Vancouver Sun, are the other writing finalists.

Woodbine photographer Michael Burns Jr. is a finalist in the photograph category for “Under the Fence”, which appeared in both the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail.

Trevor Reynolds, whose submission appeared in HorseRacingBC, and Jeff Bowen, an assistant trainer to Woodbine-based Ian Black, are the other nominees. Bowen’s “Racing on the Web” was published on ntra.com and horse-canada.com.

There were only two submissions in the digital audio/visual and broadcast category.

The Woodbine Entertainment Group’s television department, for its broadcast of the Canadian International, and Horse Racing Alberta and Whiteiron Productions, for its 2012 Canadian Derby Show from Northlands Park, will decide the issue.

For the second year, the judging was conducted by journalism professors from the nearby Humber College’s school of media studies and information technology.