La Malbaie, Quebec -Seven journalists were awarded 2002 Harold S. Hirsch Awards for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism by the North American Snowsports Journalists Association, on March 22, at its annual convention.

Winners of the awards are: Jay Cowan, Snowmass, Colo., for magazine features; Martin Griff, Ewing, N.J., for columns; Mitch Kaplan, Fairlawn, N.J., for on-line journalism; Fred McKinney, Cloverdale, N.Y. for photography; Chris Robinson, Toronto, Ont., for television broadcasting; Allen St. John, Upper Montclair, N.J., for book writing; and Dino Vournas, Hayward, Calif., for newspaper features.

The Harold S. Hirsch awards honor NASJA members for outstanding journalism during an entire snowsports season. This year's awards honor journalistic work during the 2001-2002 season. All awards are presented annually, with the exception of the award for book writing, which is presented every three years. There was no award presented this year for radio broadcasting.

Cowan, winner of the award for magazine features, contributes regularly to publications such as SKI, Skiing, Powder, Freeskier, Couloir, Travel Holiday, Outside, Sojourner, Big Sky Journal, Cross-Country Skier and others. He is author of the book “The Best of the Alps.” This is his second Harold Hirsch award for magazine writing.

Griff, winner of the award for column writing, is a photographer and snowsports columnist for The Times, in Trenton, N.J. He previously won the Harold Hirsch award for newspaper columns in 2000.

Kaplan, winner of the award for on-line writing, is the content editor for Kidznsnow.com and the travel editor for Onthesnow.com. Kaplan's free-lance work has appeared in Skiing, Ski Area Management, Snow Country, Snow Country Business, Ski Resorts, Skier News, Family Circle and Continental Airlines Magazine among others. He has authored seven books, most recently “The Unofficial Guide to the Mid-Atlantic with Kids” and “The Cheapskate's Guide to Myrtle Beach.”

McKinney, winner of the award for photography, has specialized in ski and winter lifestyle photography for editorial and commercial use for more than 20 years. Assignments have taken him around the world covering the sport of skiing, including to several winter Olympic Games and World Cup events. He photographs have been featured on more than 100 magazine covers, and his ski photography has been published in numerous national magazines, including Ski, Skiing, Powder, Ski Canada, Outdoor, Time, Vanity Fair, Woman's Day and Newsweek, as well as regional and airline magazines, brochures and catalogues. This is his second Harold Hirsch award for Excellence in Ski Photography.

Robinson, winner of the award for broadcasting, is the host and executive producer of World of Skiing television show (distributed in the United States and internationally under the title Skier's World). Robinson's company, Double Black Diamond Productions, is an independent Canadian production company focused on skiing and snowboarding. In addition to World of Skiing, DBDP has covered many national and international events for Canada's major TV networks and clients around the world. A former professional freestyle skier, he remains been heavily involved with the sport. Currently, he is the chairman of the FIS Freestyle Skiing Committee, president of the Canadian Ski and Snowboard Association and an elected director of Canadian Ski Council.

St. John won the award for books for Skiing for Dummies. St. John is the author of nine books including Skiing for Dummies, Bicycling for Dummies and the upcoming Mad Dog 100: The Greatest Sports Arguments of All Time, with radio personality Chris Russo. He is a also a contributing editor at Skiing Magazine, the Village Voice and Tennis Magazine, and his work has appeared in a wide variety of national publications ranging from The New York Times Magazine to Playboy to U.S. News and World Report. His recent work has been honored by Best American Sports Writing. This is his third Harold Hirsch Award. He has won two previous Harold Hirsch awards for magazine writing.

Vournas, winner of the award for newspaper features, works as a free lance for the Associated Press. He is former chief photographer, travel and outdoor sports writer for the San Francisco Examiner, and previously, he was with the Oakland Tribune/ANG. He is a two-time Harold Hirsch winner, having previously won the award for photography.

The North American Snowsports Journalists Association is the only professional organization for snow sports writers, photographers, broadcasters and electronic media representatives from throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.nasja.org.