2014 Christopher Foundation Award Winners

[H&Egalleries]

2014 Milbourne Christopher Award Winners

The Milbourne Christopher Foundation recently recognized seven of the most creative and talented magicians, authors, and artists during the joint S.A.M./I.B.M. convention in St. Louis.

The winners were:
• Illusionist Award – Alex Ramon
• Mentalist Award – Joseph Curcillo
• Close-up Award – Dani DaOrtiz
• Visual Magic Art Award – Rick Heath
• Masters Award – Dale Salwak
• Literary Award – Jim Steinmeyer
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Stan Kramien

The Foundation was established to encourage excellence, originality, and leadership in the magical arts and to help keep conjuring on a level with the other most popular entertainment forms – dance, drama, comedy, and music.

Created by the late Maurine Christopher, the Foundation honors her husband Milbourne, author or editor of more than twenty books on magic and extra-sensory perception, who was named national president of the S.A.M. in 1957-58.

He created and starred in the first prime time network television magic, which aired on NBC and on European networks in 1957. Earlier, in 1951, he revived M-U-M as a separate publication and edited it for five years. Christopher died in 1984 at the age of seventy.

The Christopher Foundation award winners are selected by a panel of judges comprised of leaders from the magic community. William V. Rauscher functions as chair. Other judges include Thomas A. Ewing, Raymond J. Goulet, Tony Clark, and Michael Miller.