Newsdate: Fri 24 April 2015 - 08:20 am
Location: LEXINGTON, Kentucky

Alltech and the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists are pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Alltech ‘A+’ Awards for outstanding coverage of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy.

Recognizing journalists with A+ Awards for Equestrian Games coverage

Journalists in the press center battled the elements and survived on very little sleep to deliver the triumphant stories and unforgettable images of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to fans throughout the world.
© 2015 by Alltech

The A+ Awards were established in 2010 by Alltech, in collaboration with the IAEJ, to reward creativity, passion and excellence in equestrian journalism. The focus of the awards program this year was the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

The highly competitive contest, which attracted entries from around the world, was judged by Grania Willis, FEI communications director; Alan Smith, former Daily Telegraph equestrian correspondent and photographer Peter Llewellyn, photo manager for the 2012 London Olympics and 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games.

“We witnessed tremendous equestrian athleticism and dedication during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, but behind the scenes there were some heroes".

"Those heroes were the journalists in the press center, who battled the elements and survived on very little sleep in order to deliver the triumphant stories and unforgettable images of the Games to fans throughout the world,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “We are delighted to honor these equestrian sport journalists for their passionate dedication and skilled storytelling.”

The winners of this year’s Alltech A+ Award are:

• Article Category: Sébastien Roullier, France; "La Semaine Qui A Changé La Vie du Rudolphe Scherer," published in Grand Prix Magazine
• Broadcast Category: Jan Tönjes, Germany; show jumping broadcast from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy, broadcast on St. Georg LIVE.
• Photo Category: Mollie Bailey, USA; photo of Sandra Auffarth, gold medalist in eventing at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy, published in The Chronicle of the Horse
• Jan Tönjes, the editor of St. Georg magazine, is a two-time winner, having also scooped the award in 2013. Each of the winners receives an Alltech “A+” award and a $500 prize.

“The IAEJ is extremely grateful to Alltech for its continued recognition of the media and its contribution to equestrian sport,” said Pamela Young, IAEJ president. “Alltech’s generous support for these awards is much appreciated by our members who work tirelessly to convey the passion and beauty of our sport worldwide.”

Award recipients will be honored at major events throughout the spring. Details will be coordinated with the winners. Alltech, which also sponsored the Hoofbeats grants in 2014, will continue to sponsor the Alltech A+ Awards in 2015. Guidelines will be announced on the IAEJ website: www.equijournalists.com.