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 2 Mark of Excellence Award winners for the 2010 calendar year. SPJ Region 2 includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. This year, the contest received almost 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were awarded certificates on April 9 during the Region 2 SPJ Spring Conference held in Norfolk, Va. 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 lrochester@spj.org.

2010 Region 2 Winners

Four Year College/University winners:

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Inciting a riot - by David Casterline, James Madison University.
• Second Place: Springfest riot – by Robert Boag, James Madison University.
• Third Place: Hundreds Mourn – by Zack Gibson, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Feature Photography
• First Place: Best Friends Day – by Kyle Laferriere, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Second Place: Phoenix keeper is classic example of leader – by Lindsay Fendt, Elon University.
• Third Place: Monday Night Jazz – by Chi Brown, North Carolina Central University.

General News Photography
• First Place: Violinist Eric Stanley – by Kyle Laferriere, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Second Place: Riding in Remembrance – by Robert Boag, James Madison University.
• Third Place: Mourning as one – by Jaclyn Borowski, University of Maryland.

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Terrapin Football Preview – by Jaclyn Borowski, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: Dorm Smoking Ban – by Mel Kobran, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Third Place: Veterans Among Us – by Jaclyn Borowski & Shai Goller, University of Maryland.

Sports Photography
• First Place: Intercepted by the knees – by Robert Boag, James Madison University.
• Second Place: Sanders Dunk Poster – by Kyle Laferriere, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Third Place: Bucknell tops Colonials in Smith Center pool – by Francis Rivera, George Washington University.

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: Port & Main, James Madison University.
• Second Place: Curio, James Madison University.
• Third Place: Ink, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: Making Strides– by Tim Chapman & Rebekah Lowe, James Madison University.
• Second Place: Getting Under Annmarie Nitti's Skin – by Andrew Zaleski, Loyola University Maryland.
• Third Place: From Madison to Washington – by Anna Young, James Madison University.

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Diamondback, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: The Daily Tar Heel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: Campus Echo, North Carolina Central University.
• Second Place: The Breeze, James Madison University.
• Third Place: The Commonwealth Times Staff, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Marshall: disabled kids are God’s punishment - by Kelsey Radcliffe, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Second Place: Protest of more than 1,000 – by Erica Terrini, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Third Place: War Zone – by The Breeze staff, James Madison University.

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Karen Thorsdottir, James Madison University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Editorial Writing
• First Place: The Editorial Board of The GW Hatchet, George Washington University.
• Second Place: The Pendulum staff, Elon University.
• Third Place: Edi Ashley Griffin, North Carolina Central University.

Feature Writing
• First Place: Who is Jamal Barney? From the Blacktops of Baltimore to the Hardwood of Reitz Arena – by Andrew Zaleski & Rich Conforti, Loyola University Maryland.
• Second Place: Four Loko Frenzy – by Lauren Slavin, Towson University.
• Third Place: Mexican Dentistry Thrives As U.S. Patients Head South - by Marissa Lang, University of Maryland.

General Column Writing
• First Place: Robert Wohner, Elon University.
• Second Place: Justin Snow, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: Christopher Haxel, University of Maryland.

General News Reporting
• First Place: American University changes Student Conduct Code – by Charlie Szold, Stefanie Dazio & Julia Ryan, American University.
• Second Place: Room for Improvement in Juvenile Services – by Alexis Gutter, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: Officials explain Senator plan withdrawl – by Tyler Waldman, Towson University.

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: The Hillside Journey – by Shane Ryan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: A tale of two campuses – by Derby Cox & Ben Present, Nick Statt & Colleen Harrington, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: Male victims get lost in domestic abuse data – by Jon Aerts, University of Maryland.

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Tim Chapman, James Madison University.
• Second Place: Greg Schimmel, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Writing
• First Place: Shipley Field of Dreams – by Michael Lemaire, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: Transgender athlete is first in Division I basketball – by Louis Nelson, George Washington University.
• Third Place: The General - by Eric Detweiler, University of Maryland.

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: Gwhatchet.com – by The GW Hatchet staff, George Washington University.
• Second Place: The Captain's Log Online – by The Captain's Log Online staff, Christopher Newport University.
• Third Place: Maryland Newsline – by The Maryland Newsline, Capital News Service and CNS-TV staffs, University of Maryland.

Best Independent Online Student Publication
• First Place: HUNewsService.com, Howard University.
• Second Place: Now What Argentina? – by Carolina Photojournalism & Universidad Pontifica Catolica de Argentina, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: Rams Review, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: Now What Argentina? – by Carolina Photojournalism & Universidad Pontifica Catolica de Argentina, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: One of the boys– by Caitlyn Greene, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: Scientists Warn of Smith Island's Demise, Residents Are Skeptical – by Ben Giles & Pete Muntean with Maryland Newsline & CNS-TV staffs, University of Maryland.

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Searching for Healthy Meals in D.C.'s Food Deserts – by Kendra Desrosiers, Simone Pringle, Sophia Adem & Makula Dunbar, Howard University.
• Second Place: Making It in America – by The Maryland Newsline & Capital News Service staffs, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: Black in Lexington: Endurance and Hope in a Vanishing Community – by Catherine Carlock, Erin Galliher, Farrell Ulrich & Mike White, Washington and Lee University.

Online News Reporting
• First Place: A City Divided – by The American Observer staff, American University.
• Second Place: Splitting Main Street – by Lauren Frohne & Jessey Dearing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: Power Play: Story of a Startup – by Mike Ehrlich & Elena Rue, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: NCAA Probe: Staying in Bounds – by Pressley Baird, Kristen Long & Seth Wright, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: Fall Sports 2010 Preview – by The Pendulum staff, Elon University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-Around Radio Newscast
• First Place: Carolina Connection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio Feature
• First Place: A Day with the Homeless – by Reema Khrais, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: Painted People – by Alletta Cooper, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: Circus comes to campus – by Randi Burks, North Carolina A&T State University.

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Brew to You – by Reema Khrais, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: Rally to Restore Sanity – by Michael Tomsic, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: NCAA Football Investigation – by Carolina Connection staff, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: UNC Cheerleaders – by Adam Salloum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: Matt Harvey profile – by Stefano Rivera, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: No Awards.*

Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: VCU InSight, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Second Place: Carolina Week, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: Phoenix14News, Elon University.

Television Feature
• First Place: WASPS Honored– by Pete Muntean, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: Too Broke for the Vow of Poverty – by Candace M. Smith, Howard University.
• Third Place: Shoes for Haiti – by Michael O'Neill, University of Maryland.

Television Feature Photography
• First Place: Smith Island – by Pete Muntean, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: WASPS Honored – by Pete Muntean, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: Montgomery County Bus Cameras – by Tori Blake Kramer, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: Reflecting Pool - by Denisha D. Chase, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: Drug Dogs – by Danielle Lama, University of Maryland.

Television Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Annapolis Flood - by Alexandra Ludka, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson Arrest – by Shanna Yi, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: World Cup Announcement – by Danielle Lama, University of Maryland.

Television In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Animal Abuse linked to Domestic Violence – by Shanna Yi, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: Student Fees – by Bethany Tuggle, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Third Place: Smith Island – by Pete Muntean, University of Maryland.

Television News Photography
• First Place: Veteran's Day Ride – by Tori Blake Kramer, University of Maryland.
• Second Place: Ice! – by Tori Blake Kramer, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: Sharp's Farm – by Tori Blake Kramer, University of Maryland.

Television Sports Reporting
• First Place: Cost of Athletics – by Justin Page, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Second Place: Athletes Graduation – by Tahira Lindsay, University of Maryland.
• Third Place: Football– by Eddie Sykes, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

*Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. 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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