General thoughts on this year’s entries

Once again, most of entries this year were from C of E churches or Benefices, but two were from Ecumenical churches and one was from a Congregational church. Church magazines produced using just black and white printing are not so common nowadays, as the cost of colour printing has come down so much.

Here are some of the judges comments:

One of the biggest things that stood out for me was the variation in print quality and finishing. It was obvious where editors had created a PDF direct from the publishing software and printed directly from that, either through a commercial print shop or their own church copier. At the other end of the scale were those who appeared to have printed a master copy on their possibly ageing home printer and copied it on a similarly ageing church copier. It’s worth checking if you can send your printing direct to the copier or via a PDF as this will greatly improve the quality.

There is also the subject of doing a black and white or greyscale copy from a colour master. It is far better to change the colour to greyscale in the original as this will translate to a better final print.

Editors may want to investigate the cost of colour printing. Whilst it is more expensive that black and white, it has reduced significantly with the advent of modern digital printing, which is especially useful for those with smaller print runs. Even just a full colour cover with an appealing photograph and headlines could be enough to attract a lot more readers, including non church goers. Or maybe think about using a commercial printer rather than a photocopier so that photos come out well. Changes could be funded through a small amount of advertising or a changing from a monthly publication to a bi-monthly one or by reducing the number of pages slightly eg. less rotas included. Another option would be to increase the price charged for the magazine slightly or reduce the revenue generated by your magazine. Or even a combination of some of these!

Other comments from judges this year include:

I found this year’s entries very interesting as I reflect on my early years as a rookie editor. Many of the entries resemble my early efforts, and it is true to say that it was only when I discovered ACE that I began to realise that I had much to learn. With the help of all that ACE has to offer – Guidelines, monthly Ideas Forum, excellent Speakers at the annual meetings etc – I began to realise how much is involved in producing an attractive and more professional publication. This wasn’t a mountain to climb all in one go, but a steady journey of small steps culminating in the Bronze award in 2022.

One thing we were particularly looking for was some Christian content, not just a list of church services, but the actual Christian message. Most magazines managed to achieve this, some exceedingly well. However, we do appreciate editors will need to be sensitive to their readers and less Christian content will be included if the magazine is intended for the whole community. One judge noted that some magazines had remarkably little Christian content – even in the ‘Vicar’s Letter’ and that it’s probably difficult to take your vicar to task about this, but compensation can be made by adding in Christian content from other sources. Another judge pointed out that the primary purpose of ACE is to “encourage the effective communication of the Christian message”. Your magazine is not only your chance to spread God’s love to those who regularly attend church but also those exploring their faith who may be looking for a church to attend or those who are perhaps unable to get to church. That’s not to make it all prayers and Bible study, but to show how we as Christians live in the world today through our pastoral care, and our charitable work in the church, community and wider world.