Abstract Associates’s newest Assistant Editor, Alex Dalzell, has won the Young Travel Journalist of the Year award at the Travel Press Awards 2009.
The judges said: “Alex entered some excellent submissions ranging from Chile to Croatia; we loved his ability to really develop a vivid sense of place when writing and he has a style beyond his years.”
24-year-old Alex’s first taste of travel was a road trip with school friends and surfboards to the swell soaked coast of Portugal in 2001 and has since managed to stomp his way around a fair bit of the world.
From the ice-blocked fjords of Patagonia to the razor sharp reef of Sri Lanka, Alex has been writing about his travel experiences for more than two years.
The Travel Press Awards were held at the Hilton hotel on Regent Street on Thursday 26 November.
Maccabi GB has chosen Abstract to design the leading Jewish sporting organisations annual Progress Report following the success of last year’s, which was recognised in the Media Awards of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Daniel Morris, Maccabi’s Major Events & Communications Manager, described the fact that the publication, whose design was masterminded by Abstract Art Director Joel O’Connor and designer Anja Linke while Celia Mather and Annie Jennings oversaw the editorial input, was runner up in the Professional Publication category as “great”.
Roger Wilsher, Abstract’s MD, said: “This just goes to show how our team’s creative expertise and flair can help propel our client’s work to award winning heights.”
The Board’s annual Media Awards ceremony, which was co-sponsored with the Jewish Chronicle, took place on Sunday 14th June with what the Board described as “outstanding entries from all sections of the Jewish community”. Over 60 editor and webmaster delegates representing synagogues, communal organisations and schools were treated to a two-hour learning session of best practice in publication development followed by the awards ceremony.
Judges included Richard Burton, Managing Editor of the JC, broadcaster Clive Roslin, website specialist Danny Bermant, print specialist Clive Bayard and senior JC editor, Barry Toberman.
To mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Wiener Library in the UK at the start of World War 2, Abstract has published the Library’s newsletter featuring a moving photo archive telling the story of the child survivors of the Holocaust.
In spring 1945, the British government made the decision to allow up to 1,000 orphaned, child camp survivors under the age of 16 to enter the UK under the “Children from the Concentration Camp Scheme”.
In the end only around 850 could be found. Soon after they arrived a number of hostels were opened to care for them. One such place was Weir Courtney in Lingfield Surrey where in December 1945 a small group of children aged four and nine were placed under the care of Alice Goldberger.
Through one of the child survivors the Wiener Library received a set of photographs demonstrating the atmosphere at the house, and the security, education and entertainment they were able to enjoy after their traumas.
The Wiener Library News is published pro-bono by Abstract. As Roger Wilsher, Abstract’s founder and managing director, says: “A good proportion of what we do is given away. In addition we do a number of projects a year for good causes.”
Abstract’s list of charitable clients, include Leukaemia CARE, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, as well as the Wiener Library. As Roger explains: “The company is enhanced by it. Our beating heart is our cause-related work. “
