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 9 Mark of Excellence Award winners for the 2010 calendar year. SPJ Region 9 includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. 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 9 SPJ Spring Conference held at the University Utah in Salt Lake, Utah. 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 9 Winners

Four Year College/University Finalists:

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Littleton community in shock after school shooting- by Sean Mullins, The Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Second Place: Apartment Units Charred- by Jeremy Papasso, Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Third Place: Pipe Burst- by Spencer Sandstrom, University of Utah.

Feature Photography
• First Place: Coloring outside the classroom- by Steve Anderson, The Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Second Place: Winter Chill- by Drew Jaynes, Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Third Place: Fans disappointed after loss- by Taner Pasamehmetoglu, University of Utah.

General News Photography
• First Place: Roman rider- by Drew Jaynes, Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Second Place: Holi Festival- by Dana Ivins, Utah State University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Photography
• First Place: Utah vs. TCU Football-by Lennie Mahler, University of Utah.
• Second Place: Welcome to the west- by Leah Millis, The Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Third Place: Sportsmanship- by Jeremy Papasso, Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Fall Sports Edition - by Bryan Butterfield, Weber State University.
• Second Place: Smoking the reefer- by Samantha Baker, Colorado State University.
• Third Place: Religion Leaves Prints on Sports- by Bryan Butterfield, Weber State University.

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Willus Branham, University of Utah.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: The Valley Inside Out, Mesa State College.
• Second Place: TODAY magazine, Colorado State University-Pueblo.
• Third Place: Bridal Guide Summer 2010, Brigham Young University.

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: ASPs, enthusiasts and Johns: Inside Fort Collins' Escort Business- by Philip Lindeman, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: Bo Parfet: turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones- by Kelly Bleck, Colorado State University.
• Third Place: The bite and the obsession: the sex appeal of vampires- by Heather Goodrich & Jaime Pritchard, Colorado State University.

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: The Daily Utah Chronicle, University of Utah.
• Third Place: The Daily Universe, Brigham Young University.

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Signpost, Weber State University.
• Second Place: University Journal, Southern Utah University.
• Third Place: The Metropolitan, The Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Riot erupts in Old Town Fort Collins- by Johnny Hart, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: Drug charges could close Mishawaka- by Jordyn Dahl, Colorado State University.
• Third Place: Police: Pipe Burst on campus injures 12 workers- by Andreas Rivera, University of Utah.

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Signpost Staff, Weber State University.
• Second Place: Jade McDowell, Brigham Young University.
• Third Place: The Daily Utah Chronicle Staff, University of Utah.

Feature Writing
• First Place: Holding on to hope - by Megan Mitchell, The Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Second Place: A family affair for Barkowiak- by Jake Bullinger, University of Utah.
• Third Place: The tenacious heart of Adam Scaturro- by Julie Vitvovskaya & Jamie Cotten, The Metropolitan State College of Denver.

General Column Writing
• First Place: Jim Sojourner, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: Ian Bezek, Colorado State University.
• Third Place: Brandon Beifuss, Logan Froerer & Jesse Peterson, University of Utah.

General News Reporting
• First Place: The gun ban at CSU- by Kirsten Silveira, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: Left in the ashes: Colorado State University student, family rebuild life after - by Allison Sylte, Colorado State University.
• Third Place: A rotten situation- Nic Garcia, Metropolitan State College of Denver.

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Sex trafficking: Modern-day slavery right under our noses- by Maggie Canty, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: CU student media adviser ousted: Charges of retaliatory firing and prior review - by Madeline Novey, Colorado State University.
• Third Place: GLBT: A largely unquantified community- by Alexandra Sieh, Colorado State University.

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Matt L. Stephens, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Writing
• First Place Unleash the beast- by Cris Tiller, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: SUU News Online, Southern Utah University.
• Second Place: The Met Online, Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: BAM! Hunter Ed class about more than shooting- by Caresa Alexander, Utah State University.
• Second Place: Peace movement alive and well in Cache Valley- by Caresa Alexander, Utah State University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: BP Oil Spill Threatens More Than The Environment- by Jeremy Papasso, Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Online News Reporting
• First Place: Dallas Votes: Bridgerland Literacy board bars press and public from meeting- by Storee Powell, Utah State University.
• Second Place: Wellsville house fire blamed on leaking propane tank on barbecue grillv- by Storee Powell, Utah State University.
• Third Place: Gay and LDS: ‘Are there not very many people like us?’- by Satenik Sargsyan, Utah State University.

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: Metro senior makes unique comeback- by Matt Hollinshead, Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio Feature Reporting
• First Place: USU Clinic helps the Disadvantaged- by Landon Hemsley, Utah State University.
• Second Place: Corrine, Utah Historical Pageant- by Landon Hemsley, Utah State University.
• Third Place: Fear Factors- by Natalie Tripp, Brigham Young University.

Radio In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: A Brief History of Horror - by Camille Whiteley, Brigham Young University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Circle the Wagons- by Storee Powell, Utah State University.
• Second Place: Run for Congo Women - by Storee Powell, Utah State University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: Utah Refugee All-Stars- by Landon Hemsley, Utah State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: News22, New Mexico State University.
• Second Place: Cache Rendezvous, Utah State University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Television Feature Reporting
• First Place: Secret Elixir- by Garrett Tenney, Brigham Young University.
• Second Place: The Heart of a Champion-by Jeremy Papasso, Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• Third Place: Balloon Record- by Adam Balinski, Brigham Young University.

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: Doctor vs. Doctor- by Kylee Knoles, Brigham Young University.
• Second Place: Device Downtime- by Matthew Sewick, University of Colorado at Boulder.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Television In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: New Century Scholarship- by Garrett Tenney, Brigham Young University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Television Feature Photography
• First Place: Lordsburg and Its Hidden History- by Angela Hardenburg, New Mexico State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Television Sports Reporting
• First Place: Too Short?- by Adam Balinski, Brigham Young University.
• Second Place: Curling - by Brian Grimmett, Brigham Young University.
• Third Place: Hamson - by Whitney Wonnacott, Brigham Young University.

Two Year College Winners:

Feature Photography
• First Place: Rape- by Dominic Benintende, Laramie County Community College.
• Second Place: Have you heard about our Morgan?- by Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Photography
• First Place: Heads up- by Daniel Stelle, Laramie County Community College.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Relay for Life to walk on campus- by Seneca (Flowers) Riggins, Laramie County Community College.
• Second Place: Need help managing your social media-by Jeffrey Pallak, Laramie County Community College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: Wingspan, Laramie County Community College.
• Second Place: Northwest Trail, Northwest College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Danae Lenz & Mark Keierleber, Northwest College.
• Second Place: Dominic Benintende & Seneca (Flowers) Riggins, Laramie County Community College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

General Column Writing
• First Place: Deborah Cobb, Northwest College.
• Second Place: Seneca (Flowers) Riggins, Laramie County Community College.
• Third Place: Reed Tobol, Northwest College.

General News Reporting
• First Place: Open Meeting Closed- by Mark Keierleber & Danae Lenz, Northwest College.
• Second Place: Prestwich gives up LDS recruitment- by Deborah Cobb & Trail Staff, Northwest College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Writing
• First Place: Have you heard about our Morgan?-by Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

* 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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