Center for Plain Language Honors the Best in Clear Communication

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Plain Language has awarded its 2016 Grand ClearMark Awards for the best communications in plain language. The Federal Trade Commission won the Grand ClearMark for IdentityTheft.gov, the federal government's one-stop resource for identity theft victims. The Ambulatory Care Network at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital won the Spanish Grand ClearMark for its booklet Healthy Eating - Spanish, intended to help the Latino community learn to make healthy eating choices. The awards were presented at the Center for Plain Language's seventh annual ClearMark Awards banquet held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on May 10, 2016.

In addition to the grand prize awards, the Center for Plain Language also presented ClearMark Awards for the best in Original Documents, Revised Documents, Websites, Multimedia, and Legal Documents. The winners are:

Original Documents:

• Long: Aptive Resources, Mended Hearts HeartGuide
• Short: Anthem, Well-Infant Direct Mailer

Revised Documents:

• Long: AARP Livable Communities, AARP HomeFit Guide
• Short: Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Department of Revenue Letter to Taxpayers

Website:

• Long: Federal Trade Commission, IdentityTheft.gov*
• Short: U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Plain-language resources for naturalization

Multimedia:

• Long: American Academy of Pediatrics, Physical Developmental Delays: What to look for
• Short: Minnesota Department of Revenue, Direct Deposit Campaign

Legal Documents:

• Long: Center for Clear Communication, A Plain Language Approach to Simplifying Bankruptcy Forms
• Short: Anthem, 2015 Explanation of Benefits

The Center also awarded ClearMark Awards to three Spanish documents:

• National Institutes of Health, National Eye Institute with ICF International, Rosales Communications, Cómo vivir con Baja Visión Booklet
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health with CommunicateHealth, Inc., TB Infection Educational Materials for Refugees and Immigrants
• NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital,Healthy Eating - Spanish*

"The Center is pleased to honor once again the best plain language writing of the year in both English and Spanish," said Susan Kleimann, Center for Plain Language chair. "These winners demonstrate that attention to plain language is a core business practice that creates value for the customers and the business alike — every audience, every format, every time. We are pleased, this year, to see so many successes in so many different fields."

The Center also recognizes complex, confusing, or just plain bad writing with the WonderMark Awards — as in "I wonder what they were thinking when they wrote this?" This year's Grand WonderMark Award goes to a submission entitled Unintended Science Project, published by Suffolk County Water Authority, Oakdale, NY.

"Talk about drowning in information," said Maria Boos, Center for Plain Language board member and WonderMark lead. "This map, and the handy 44-page report that accompanies it, tells you that the area is served by 79 wells. Why would anyone care about this? They want to know if their water is safe!"

To see a complete list of all ClearMark finalists and winners — including the winning documents and judges' remarks — visit the Center for Plain Language's website. The WonderMark Award winner and finalists can also be found on the Center's website.

The Center for Plain Language, a non-profit organization, helps government agencies and businesses write clear and understandable documents. The Center supports those who use plain language, trains those who should use plain language, and urges people to demand plain language in all the documents they receive, read, and use. For more information and to become a member, visit: centerforplainlanguage.org.

* 2016 Grand ClearMark Award Winner

SOURCE The Center for Plain Language

Related Links

http://centerforplainlanguage.org