For immediate release

Contact:
Lauren Rochester, SPJ Awards Coordinator, 317-927-8000 ext. 210,
lrochester@spj.org
Andrew M. Scott, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317-927-8000 ext. 215,
ascott@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 12 Mark of Excellence Award winners for the 2010 calendar year. SPJ Region 12 includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. This year, the contest received almost 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were awarded certificates on March 27 during the Region 12 SPJ Spring Conference held at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. First place regional winners will advance to the national round of judging. National winners will be announced in early May.

The winners are listed below. For additional information on the Mark of Excellence awards, please contact Awards Coordinator Lauren Rochester at 317-927-8000 ext. 210.
2010 Region 12 Winners


Four Year College/University Finalists:

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Armed suspect arrested near campus – by Martin McCallister, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: Dairy King During May Flood – by Whitney Jarreld, Lipscomb University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Bailey Elise McBride, Marcus Ferreira & Anna Jacobs, University of Arkansas.
• Second Place: Josh Clark, University of Mississippi.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Feature Photography
• First Place: Homecoming photos - by Ciley Carrington, Grambling State University.
• Second Place: X-Treme Makeover- by Ben Corda, Louisiana Tech University.
• Third Place: Slacklining – by Brianna Paciorka, Louisiana State University.

General News Photography
• First Place: The Student Voice - by Alison Moon, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
• Second Place: Jazz Funeral for Higher Education – by Zach Breaux, Louisiana State University
• Third Place: Zombies Invade – by Rande Robinson, Southeastern Louisiana University.

Photo Illustration
• First Place: I'm Real: The Faces of Breast Cancer - by Henrique Ruiz, Harding University.
• Second Place: The Year in Sports - by Jonathan Gibson, Zac Lehr, Matt Watson & Bailey McBride, University of Arkansas.
• Third Place: Hole Lotta Love - by Adam Vaccarella, Louisiana State University.

Sports Photography
• First Place: Hogs Child-less - by Gareth Patterson and Bailey McBride, University of Arkansas.
• Second Place: Eibner's Fastball – by Jonathan Gibson & Bailey McBride, University of Arkansas.
• Third Place: Razorbacks' Ricketts No Sophomore Slump – by Jonathan Gibson & Bailey McBride, University of Arkansas.

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: Meek School of Journalism and New Media, University of Mississippi.
• Second Place: Legacy, Louisiana State University.
• Third Place: Wolf Magazine, Loyola University New Orleans.

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: Clarksdale Sings the Blues – by Natalie Dickson, University of Mississippi.
• Second Place: The Tiger Whisperer – by Chelsea Brasted, Louisiana State University.
• Third Place: Anorexia Dot Com – by Chelsea Brasted, Louisiana State University.

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Daily Reveille, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: The Daily Beacon, University of Tennessee Knoxville.
• Third Place: The Daily Mississippian, University of Mississippi.

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Maroon, Loyola University New Orleans.
• Second Place: The Bison, Harding University.
• Third Place: The Arkansas Traveler, University of Arkansas.

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Hundreds of students protest budget cuts at State Capitol- by Matthew Albright, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: USM senior wins FOX's MasterChef - by Jonathan Andrews, University of Southern Mississippi.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Sarah Kyle & Blake Mathews, Harding University.
• Second Place: The Maroon staff, Loyola University New Orleans.
• Third Place: The Daily Reveille Editorial Board, Louisiana State University.

Feature Writing
• First Place: Delta Tamales- by Natalie Dickson, University of Mississippi.
• Second Place: Bourre all-nighters endangered - by Hope Rurik, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
• Third Place: In the Face of Adversity - by Alex McDaniel, University of Mississippi.

General Column Writing
• First Place: Andrew Robertson, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: Robert Wilson, Louisiana Tech University.
• Third Place: Lance Traweek, Louisiana Tech University.

General News Reporting
• First Place: Clifton Steps Down - by Blake Mathews, Harding University.
• Second Place: Tragic slaying of young UL student leaves questions unanswered - by Zane Hill & Emily Henagan, University of Louisiana Lafayette.
• Third Place: Local family’s annual camping trip takes tragic turn in Arkansas - by Craig Malveaux, Loyola University New Orleans.

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Inside RSOs - by Chelsea Boozer, University of Memphis.
• Second Place: Emmett Till Commission Seeks Unity - by Natalie Dickson, University of Mississippi.
• Third Place: State of the union- by Precious Esie, Loyola University New Orleans.

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Jimmy Carter, Matt Watson & Bailey Elise McBride, University of Arkansas.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Writing
• First Place: A Family Affair - by Zac Ellis, University of Tennessee.
• Second Place: Turning point: Upset victory against Tennessee - by Rob Landry, Louisiana State University.
• Third Place: Heisman Hog? - by Jimmy Carter & Bailey Elise McBride, University of Arkansas.

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: The Daily Reveille & lsureveille.com, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: UATV, University of Arkansas.
• Third Place: UATrav.com, University of Arkansas.

Best Independent Online Student Publication
• First Place: Lumination Network, Lipscomb University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Online News Reporting
• First Place: Flooding in Nashville affects campus and students- by Kate Keith, Lipscomb University.
• Second Place: Timeline: 2010 Budget Cuts- by The Daily Reveille Staff, Louisiana State University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Online Opinion & Commentary
• First Place: WikiLeaks and the Media: Ethics and Coverage - by Matthew L. Schafer, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-Around Radio Newscast
• First Place: The Blaze staff, Tennessee State University.
• Second Place: KUAR Staff, University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio Feature
• First Place: Little Rock Bike Polo - by Nathan Vandiver, University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
• Second Place: Organization works to reverse wrongful convictions - by Lauren Langlois, Louisiana State University.
• Third Place: Young Entrepreneur Has A Passion For Truffles - by Luke Gramlich, University of Arkansas.

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Medano Fire - by Knox Graham, University of Mississippi.
• Second Place: Chris Holloway, University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
• Third Place: Life Behind Prison Walls – by Roberta Redding, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Radio In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Race To The Top - by Ryan Broussard, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: The Southeastern Channel, Southeastern Louisiana University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Television Feature Photography
• First Place: BRECPARK - by Leah Ellsworth, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: Slidell School Rebuilt- by Daron Short, Southeastern Louisiana University.
• Third Place: Children's Discovery Museum – by Nick Elliott, Southeastern Louisiana University.

Television Feature
• First Place: Tibetan Sand Mandala - by Kelly Carpenter, University of Arkansas.
• Second Place: Dickson Street Rambler- by Evan Bentley, University of Arkansas.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: EBooks - by Chrissy Carter, Southeastern Louisiana University.
• Second Place: Tracking Disease Trends with Twitter - by Jessica Leblanc, Southeastern Louisiana University.
• Third Place: New Levee Proposal - by Anna deTiege, Southeastern Louisiana University.

Television Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Flooding in Nashville affects campus and students - by Kathryn McKinley, Lipscomb University.
• Second Place: Midnight in Middleton – by Gabe Giffen, Louisiana State University.
• Third Place: Masoli Live Shot– by Stephen Quinn, University of Mississippi.

Television In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: On The Hill: Northwest Arkansas Ice Storm - by UATV staff, University of Arkansas.
• Second Place: On The Hill: A Tribute to WWII – by UATV staff, University of Arkansas.
• Third Place: Campus Crossfire Investigates Substance Abuse – by Tony Cosgrove, Luke Gramlich, Alexandra Marquez & Campus Crossfire staff, University of Arkansas.

Television News Photography
• First Place: FETI - by Steven Calamusa, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: New Levee Proposal– by Nick Elliott, Southeastern Louisiana University.
• Third Place: Hunting Accidents – by Leah Ellsworth, Louisiana State University.

Television Sports Reporting
• First Place: New Field – by Leah Ellsworth, Louisiana State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Two Year College Finalists:

Best Student Magazine, two year college/university
• First Place: The Pioneer staff, Volunteer State Community College.
• Second Place: Gallery Magazine staff, Walters State Community College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

*Judges are not required to select first, second or third place winners.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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