– PACT AWARDS –
One of top finalists in an annual Pact Awards competition, recognizing “superior writing” in the field of environmental and resources related materials. The Pact Award is sponsored by the Conservation Technological Information Centre in West Lafayette, Indiana, and works in association with the Purdue Research Park.
Willis was one of only seven finalists out of 150 submissions from top magazines and newspapers from across North America. She was recognized for her series of three articles on Dinoseb contamination problems found in drinking wells in the village of Tignish, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
After questioning the quality and amount of information government officials were offering people about the contamination, Willis began digging into the problem and revealed it was far more significant to water and soil quality, and to human health than both federal and local governments were releasing.
– THOMSON NEWPAPERS EDITORIAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE –
The Thomson Editorial Award of Excellence is chosen from entries from all Thompson newspapers.
Willis won the award for her centerfold profile on a couple’s bizarre adventure during World War II. Judges describe the piece as “A poignant, well written story by Nancy Willis about a war bride…that vividly captured the emotions of a newly wed English girl who landed on the shores of Canada in 1941, only to find herself stranded in a strange land. Her soldier husband had left Canada a few days earlier for England to find her, and their ships passed in the night.”
