“Great educational connection to the reader.” – Virginia Press Association

At their annual awards banquet on Saturday, April 18, the Virginia Press Association announced that Eastern Shore News reporter Jennifer Cording and photographer Jay Diem won first-place awards for their Multimedia Feature Report and Personality Portrait Photo of United Poultry Concerns and its president, Karen Davis.

The story, set at UPC’s headquarters & sanctuary in Machipongo, VA, and published on November 17, 2014, was chosen for making a “Great educational connection to the reader, as many folks eat poultry. Plenty of detail and nice variety of imagery with good composition made for an effective multi-media feature.” The winning photo succeeded in “capturing a moment that shows the subject’s character. This photo stood out in this category because the photographer did a great job sharing.”

United Poultry Concerns is deeply honored by the award-winning opportunity provided by Jennifer Cording, Jay Diem, and the Eastern Shore News to educate the public and the Virginia Press Association about the beauty and plight of chickens and turkeys, and our work on their behalf. We sincerely thank the Virginia Press Association for the honor of these much-deserved awards. To view the award-winning Multimedia feature, see:

Va. woman not chicken about making a stand for birds 18 November 2014.

Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns, holds Miss Chard in the Virginia Press Association’s award-winning personality portrait photo by Jay Diem, published Nov. 17, 2014.

Following our November interview, reporter Jennifer Cording’s 7-year-old daughter Ava drew this happy portrait of a hen and a rooster at our sanctuary and presented it as a gift that we’re delighted to share with you – United Poultry Concerns

Drawing by Ava Cording