The Robinson Prize is one of two awards given out by ACES: The Society for Editing annually to one

copy editor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...

whose work demonstrates exceptional effectiveness.

History

Established in 2005, the prize is named for Pam Robinson, formerly a news editor at the

Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significan ...

in suburban New York. Robinson was the co-founder of ACES in 1997 and the society's first president.

Evaluation

Nominees are evaluated on a combination of elements, which include editing, design, mentoring and training, fostering a sense of teamwork and pride among colleagues, and anything else that furthers the role of the editing profession. Says Teresa Schmedding, one of the drafters of the award, and a member of the Society's Executive Committee,

This award isn't designed to applaud the best speller in the newsroom or the best grammarian. Being a good wordsmith isn't enough. Today's copy editors need to be skilled in conflict resolution, show excellent news judgment, demonstrate initiative and be able to find creative solutions to help their papers succeed in this era filled with increased competition.

Eligibility

The contest is open to all copy editors working for English-language news publications, though work considered for nomination must be current. Members of the Society's Executive Committee, employees, and the administrators of the contest are ineligible.

Winners

Winners of the Prize, in addition to recognition, receive $2,000. *2005: Paul Soucy,

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

*2006: Tim Lynch,

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

*2007: Adam Smith,

The Augusta Chronicle ''The Augusta Chronicle'' is the daily newspaper of Augusta, Georgia, and is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States still in publication. The paper is known for its coverage of the Masters Tournament, which is played in Augusta. The ''C ...

*2008: Michael Roehrman, The Wichita Eagle *2009: Beth Blair,

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

*2010: Andy Angelo, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press *2011: Kim Profant,

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

*2012: Doris Truong,

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

*2013: Katharine O'Moore-Klopf, medical editor for ACES,

American Medical Writers Association The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) is a professional association for medical communicators, with more than 4,000 members in the United States, Canada, and 30 other countries. AMWA is governed by a board of directors composed of the ele ...

, Board of Editors in the Life Sciences, Editorial Freelancers Association etc.; Copyeditors Knowledge Base online *2014: Larissa Newton, ''

Central Penn Business Journal The ''Central Penn Business Journal'' is a business newspaper headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The print publication is circulated on a weekly basis and covers five counties in central Pennsylvania: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Le ...

'' *2015: Sarah Grey, Grey Editing *2016: Karen Yin, Conscious Style Guide *2018: Karen S. Conlin, Grammargeddon *2019: Rob Reinalda, Ragan Communications *2020: Laura Poole, Archer Editorial Services *2021: Emily Ayubi, APA Style *2022: Talysa Sainz *2023: Lily Thomas,

References

{{Reflist Copy editing American journalism awards