Who was Polly Bond?

The Polly Bond Awards were established in the mid-1970s by Episcopal Communicators to acknowledge excellence and achievement in the ministry of church communication. They are awarded annually at the Episcopal Communicators meeting for a variety of categories. Read what a fellow communicator has written about Polly's life:

"When Polly Bond, director of communications in the Diocese of Ohio, was stricken with terminal cancer, Episcopal Communicators unanimously decided to dedicate the awards to her memory.  Polly herself, who never let her condition get the best of her, was able to participate in the original guidelines for the awards at her last Episcopal Communicators meeting, even when she knew she was dying.

"Polly edited the diocesan newspaper. She was a pioneer in the church in the use of electronic media. She was a very capable photographer and a skilled writer. She managed the code-a-phone system at General Convention for as long as anyone could remember. She could be described as ubiquitous because she went everywhere, was seen everywhere. She had thousands of friends and acquaintances, and thousands of people knew who she was.

"Polly had tremendous faith. She had great loyalty to Holy Mother Church. She was a hard-working, honest woman, and she would see a job through to the end, no matter how ornery it was.

"With her peers, she was always quick to praise; always ready to cheer you up. She encouraged you to do a better job. She set the example of keeping at a task, never quitting or giving up, but going back one more time and giving it another try.

 "Polly wore a large pin on her shoulder. Especially after she learned that she had cancer, the pin was her credo. It said, 'Celebrate life.' That's what she did day by day, and that's what she should have wanted us to do: celebrate life by striving for excellence in all that we do."

(Excerpts from "Polly Bond--A Remembrance" by Larry Davidson. Episcopal Communicators meeting, 1989, Williamsburg, VA)

What are these awards and who can submit?

Episcopal Communicators invites you to submit your work for our annual awards competition. The awards are known as the Polly Bond awards (or just "the Polly Bonds"), in honor of a former member of the organization. In addition to earning the honor and prestige from your peers, many communicators have seen their awards earn them new respect from their employers, sometime accompanying a promotion or pay increase.

Applicants must be full members of the organization, and submit work completed in the calendar year prior to the conference at which awards are presented. Categories exist for a variety of print, broadcast, and electronic categories, and a subcommittee continuously reviews the categories. Applications are prepared near the end of the calendar year, and will have a firm deadline. Judges are recruited by the awards committee, generally from the academic and/or secular press realms. The Polly Bond Awards are presented during the annual conference at a banquet, and a list of the winners are posted on this web site after the award presentations.