ABA Announces Winners of 2015 Silver Gavel Awards

The American Bar Association has announced the winners of the 2015 Silver Gavel Awards. Here's the text of its press release.

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2015 — The American Bar Association announced today its selections for the 2015 Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts, which recognize outstanding work in media and the arts that fosters the American public’s understanding of law and the legal system. This is the ABA’s highest honor in recognition of this purpose.

The winners are:

• “Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison,” a book that shines a harsh light on America’s juvenile prisons and argues that state-run detention centers should be abolished
• “The Case Against 8,” a behind-the-scenes documentary that looks at the historic federal court case to overturn Prop 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage
• “Till Death Do Us Part,” an investigative newspaper series that examines South Carolina’s “silent epidemic” of domestic violence and proposes concrete solutions to reduce the state’s extraordinarily high rate of women killed by men
• “Serial: Season One,” a radio podcast that probes a 2000 murder trial in Baltimore to tell a larger story of the realities of criminal prosecution

The awards ceremony will take place July 21 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. ABA President William Hubbard will present the Silver Gavel Awards to honorees.
The ABA will present four Silver Gavels and four honorable mentions from 168 entries received in all eligible categories: books, commentary, documentaries, drama and literature, magazines, newspapers, radio, television and other media.
Selection criteria include: how the entry addresses the Gavel Awards’ purpose and objectives; educational value of legal information; impact on, or outreach to, the public; thoroughness and accuracy in presentation of issues; creativity and originality in approach to subject matter and effectiveness of presentation; and demonstrated technical skill in the entry’s production.

“The winners of 2015 Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts are the result of a rigorous and selective review by the American Bar Association,” said Cory M. Amron, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Gavel Awards. “We congratulate all of the awardees for their outstanding efforts to foster the American public’s understanding of law and legal institutions.”
The association has presented these awards annually since 1958. The 18-member ABA Standing Committee on Gavel Awards makes final award decisions. 

The link to the ABA webpage also lists winners of Silver Gavel honorable mentions.