Contributors to Country Life in BC once again made a strong showing at the Canadian Farm Writers Federation awards, presented during its annual conference in London, Ontario, on September 19.
They won gold awards in both print and photography categories, led by repeat winner Anna Helmer for her column, “Slips twixt the cup and the farmer’s lip,” in the July 2025 issue.
Riley Donovan received gold for Current Affairs Reporting with “Cowichan title decision creates uncertainty,” in the October 2025 issue.
Ronda Payne’s photo of blacksmith Josh Hooge of Fraser River Forge with colleague Cody Lewichew and apprentice Eric Wang sparked the interest of judges, who awarded it gold in the People photography category.
Contributor Tom Walker received a silver award for his coverage of BC Tree Fruits Co-op’s dissolution, “Battle looms over fruit co-op’s assets,” also in the October 2025 issue. (The battle was resolved by BC Supreme Court earlier this year, and distribution of the co-op’s residual funds is set to complete by December.)
Myrna Stark Leader also won silver for People photography with her portrait of butcher Dave Semmelink on the cover of the May 2025 issue.
Jordan Marr, who debuted in these pages in 2025, received a silver award in the Electronic Media – Audio category for an episode of his popular Farming in BC podcast reviewing the top stories of 2025, including those covered by Country Life in BC.
Marr also received the David Schmidt Award, presented to the year’s top new writer, sponsored by Country Life in BC, underscoring the importance and promise of agricultural communications across media types.
This year’s judges considered 136 entries across all categories, with Current Affairs reporting being the largest category and Landscape photography being the smallest.
All award recipients receive a cash prize.
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