Web-based articles now qualify ... OKAY, NOT EXACTLY

Retraction: I talked with the initial screener for the Amy Writing Awards, and technically this article doesn't qualify because the scripture quoted was not in quotations and was obsecured in such a way to not attribute the quotation to scripture. It would have qualified if the author had placed quotation marks around "what is man that you are mindful of him" (found at the end of the post) or cited its reference (i.e., Psalm 8:4). For the record, scripture cited in the title of opinions and articles do not qualify the article for the Awards; it must be in the body of the article. Scripture "tacked" onto articles may qualify the piece, but doesn't win you many points with the judges.

Here is an excellent example of a web-based newspaper column—a “blog” by any other name—that now qualifies for the 2008 Amy Writing Awards. Author Bob Haynes recently posted the entry, titled “Fables and Faith: What is man that ‘you’ are mindful of him” on the Benton County Daily Record’s website (9-8-09). The new rules on electronically published articles can be found at www.amyfound.org under "Amy Writing Awards."

71 year-old Haynes writes:

Lots of folks have pondered the answer to that question, me included. John Wesley said it much more eloquently than I could when he said: "For what end is life bestowed upon the children of men? Why were we sent into the world? Then he said: "We were sent for one sole end, and for no other, to prepare for eternity. For this alone we live..."
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The author deals with a relevant topic for all of us, even us 39 year olds. Instead of asking “where has all the time gone” or regretting what we haven’t done, Haynes’ article encourages us to consider why God made us who we are and gave us the life that he did.

Typical of web-based columns, Haynes article has some spacing issues. My fellow Amy Foundation judges and I take a holistic approach to rating articles and mark down articles that have typos (even though this blog has several, I know).

Regardless, I am enthused to find a web-based article, on a relevant topic, that qualifies under the new rules.

Keep up the great work, Bob!