Martha’s Vineyard Award Winning Journalist
Journalist and photographer Mark Alan Lovewell has a strong interest in Martha’s Vineyard maritime heritage. The Island is his home. Years ago, he received first place in the category of History Writing from the New England Newspaper and Press Association for a story about the centennial remembrance of the sinking of the Mertie B. Crowley, a 296-foot six-masted schooner. The story, “A Century Later: Epic Sea Rescue is Remembered,” was published in the Jan. 22, 2010 Vineyard Gazette.
Mark also won first place the year before for “A Catboat Finds Her Way Home to the Sea,” which was published as a cover on May 22, 2009 in the Vineyard Gazette. The story is about his restoration of an 18-foot Marshall catboat that was built in 1972 but had languished in a field for more than a decade. The judges said, “Wow, what a story! There could be no other first place winner in this category. Beautifully written, detailed yet concise. A perfect read.”
In 2007, Mark received three awards at the New England Press Association annual convention. He received the first place for environmental reporting for a special section he wrote and photographed on the state of Georges Bank in the fall of 2005. His employer, the Vineyard Gazette, received a first place for writing a small editorial special section for the same project. Mark also received the third place in General News for a photograph of the launching of the Island Home, a new ferry that started serving the Vineyard. The launching took place in Mississippi.
