The Georgia Bulletin earned three awards at the annual Catholic Media Convention held in New Orleans. The 2010 convention drew members of the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals to New Orleans June 2-4.

The 2010 St. Francis de Sales Award, the highest award from the Catholic Press Association for “outstanding contributions to Catholic journalism,” went to Anthony Spence, of the Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C. The 2010 Bishop John England Award, given to publishers who have defended the freedom of the press and/or freedom of religion, was given to Bishop Joseph A. Galante, publisher of the Catholic Star, Camden, N.J.

At The Georgia Bulletin, editor Gretchen Keiser earned first place in the personality profile when she wrote about Gene Stelten, a 25-year volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Stelten, a dedicated fundraiser, has taken in some $100,000 for the nonprofit by editing three books of essays written by well-known sports figures, politicians, poets and faith leaders. He recently published a children’s book called “A House for Wally and Me.”

Photographer Michael Alexander and reporter Andrew Nelson took home second place for online/multimedia presentation of visuals. The two teamed up to tell the story of Father Luke Kot, who helped establish the Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers.

Reporter Stephen O’Kane earned an honorable mention in the category for reporting on young adults for his profile of Katie Press, who is in formation with the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a group of religious women whose motherhouse is in Hamden, Conn., with sisters in the United States, Italy and Brazil.

The Georgia Bulletin competes in the 40,000 and above circulation category, and the awards for online/multimedia presentation of visuals and young adults are national competitions. The entries were judged by the members of the American Press Institute, many of whom are at the highest levels of journalism, including Pulitzer Prize winners, writers from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and others.