Celebrating independent media in Hamilton

Thursday night, bloggers, activists, freelance journalists and documentary filmmakers gathered at Club Absinthe on King William Street to celebrate the first annual Hamilton Independent Media Awards (HIMAs), also nicknamed “The Maggies” after the late CFMU radio host and journalist Maggie Hughes.

Six awards were given out to some of Hamilton’s premier independent journalists, and some lesser known but greatly talented individuals that you should Google right now. The winners were:

Best Journalist – Arts and Culture: Biljana Njegovan
Best Journalist – Politics: Tyler Welch
Best Journalist – Social Justice and Human Rights: Terry Asma and Katrina Simmons
Best Journalist – Environment: A tie between Matt Jelly and Ryan McGreal
Best Media Outlet – Unpack Magazine

The Maggies’ top award, The Lifetime Achievement Award was reserved this year for Maggie Hughes herself, and received by her niece and HIMAs board member, Sherri Hewitt-Currie.

Other board members include Kevin MacKay, Mohawk Professor and Director of the Skydragon Centre; Amanda Stewart, local activist and administrator for Activism Hamilton; Jamie Tennant, Program Director for CFMU at McMaster University; and Kurt Muller, Coordinator of the journalism program at Mohawk College.

The HIMAs had their launch event more than a year ago in April 2013, and in the time since they have been fundraising for this, their first of a hoped annual event.

Find out more at HIMAs.ca

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