In a competition co-sponsored by the Missouri School of Journalism and Publications Management, Cleaning & Restoration (C&R) received a Silver Magnum Opus award for a feature story on the RIA fine arts course held last fall in Florence, Italy, and an Honorable Mention Magnum Opus award for its recent redesign.

The magazine also garnered several Apex Awards for Publication Excellence in a competition sponsored by Virginia-based Communications Concepts. The magazine's two-part series - "Saving the Irreplaceable" - which detailed the restoration efforts of a water-ravaged library in Hyderabad, India - won a coveted Grand Award for feature writing. Out of more than 5,500 entries, only 100 Grand Awards were presented in the competition, which was open to for-profit and non-profit entities.

The article was written by RIA member, Marshall Oliver, CR, of Cromwell Restoration Ltd. (a subsidiary of Belfor International), and presented "a fascinating look at an emergency restoration project, told with warmth, passion and great human interest," said one of the judges of the entry. "Nor are the technical aspects slighted. They're covered in-depth in a clearly understandable manner. Overall, an excellent, well-written and well-informed series."

Cleaning & Restoration also won Awards of Excellence in the Best Redesign and Feature Writing categories of the competition. The magazine underwent an extensive "renovation" when RIA brought all aspects of the magazine in-house last year. "Our accomplishments were judged in comparison to our peers, as well as publications from much larger entities, and we did extremely well," said Patricia Harman, the magazine's editor-in-chief. "These awards confirm why RIA and C&R are leaders in the industry."

The Restoration Industry Association , located in Millersville, Maryland, is the only international trade association in the cleaning and restoration industry. It has more than 1,300 national and international member firms specializing in cleaning, treating, and repairing damaged buildings and their contents.