Awards Recognize “Plain Language is Everywhere” Center for Plain Language Announces ClearMark Award Winners MEDIA LIAISON:
Wendy Meyeroff, Communications Director wmeyeroff@centerforplainlanguage.org
DATE:
May 14, 2019
The Center for Plain Language announces the winners of its highly popular annual ClearMark Awards that recognize the best in plain language communications created by North American organizations. Held every year since 2010, for the first time the event occurred online on Tuesday, May 7, allowing attendees from across the U.S., in Canada, Belgium, and elsewhere. “Having this event online equalizes access—geographically and financially—making greater participation possible at a fraction of the cost,” says Jeff Greer, Chair of the Center. Key Awards “The theme for this year’s ClearMarks was ‘Plain Language is Everywhere,’” says Greer, who notes there were winning entrants in 13 categories, from traditional print to infographics and mobile apps. Two Grand ClearMark winners were judged to be total standouts: For material written in English: “Move Your Way” Fact Sheets, CommunicateHealth For material written in Spanish: Virginia Medicaid Managed Care (Medallion 4.0) website, MAXIMUS Center for Health Literacy 21st-Century Excitement “We got an amazing response to our announcement, which offered the link to the free sign-on. We had almost 200 people register,” says Amy Hasselkus, the Center’s Executive Director. “We also livestreamed on Facebook so we had more people watching from there. A recording of the event is on the Center’s Facebook page, and will be posted to the Center’s site so people can watch later, if they so choose.” One of the fun moments starting off the ClearMark Awards was the WTF award...and to be clear that stands for Work That Failed. As the Center’s Vice Chair Jennifer Pearce put it, “WTF is what you think when you see signs, forms, and more, like the ones we’ll be talking about today.”
ClearMark Awards
Center for Plain Language
Meyeroff/P. 2
Four items were listed for attendees to vote on: a very complex street sign about cleaning up doggie-do; a legalese landlord/tenant agreement; the so-called “Hospital Chargemaster” (that’s a listing of all one’s hospital charges); and a BBC poll showing which social media privacy policies are even more complex than Dickens’ verbiage. (Apple, Google, FB, and LI were among those that “succeeded” here.) And (drumroll, please!) the signage with high-end lingo about pooper-scooping won the poll. By a pretty wide margin, BTW. Get Inspired “If you want to know what Plain Language means in 2019, take a look at our amazing winners,. All our finalists showcased smart new ways you can help your readers find, understand, and use the information they need,” says David Lipscomb, lead judge for this year’s ClearMarks. There are so many ways even small groups can participate both in the ClearMark Awards and other aspects of the Center. Coming on board as a sponsor, helping with the judging, and working on a committee, are just a few of the ways to get the word out, not just every spring but all year ‘round. NOTE: For the complete list of ClearMark 2019 winners see the Center for Plain Language website ### Special Thank You to Our Sponsors: Kleimann Communication Group, More Carrot, Visible Thread, CommunicateHealth, Redish & Associates, PLAIN, Aha Media, Core Content Group, Plain Language Health, The Plain Language Group, LLC, and Zuula. About the Event Developer: The Center for Plain Language is a 501(c)(3) organization with the goal of helping government agencies and businesses write so clearly that their intended audience understands what they are saying the first time they read or hear it. The Center’s mission is to champion clear communication so people and organizations can thrive.
Center For Plain Language · 21 East Main Street · Richmond, VA 23219 www.centerforplainlanguage.org
2