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 11 Mark of Excellence Award winners for the 2010 calendar year. SPJ Region 11 includes Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and the Northern Mariana Islands. This year, the contest received almost 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were awarded certificates on April 30 during the Region 11 SPJ Spring Conference held in San Diego, Cali. 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 11 Winners

Four Year College/University winners:

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Confrontation at the UC Regents Meeting - by Prescott Watson, University of California, Santa Cruz.
• Second Place: ASI passes DREAM Act resolution – by Matt Weir, California State University, Fresno.
• Third Place: John Wooden vigil – by Blaine Ohigashi, University of California, Los Angeles.

Feature Photography
• First Place: An empty feeling inside – by Maya Sugarman, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Second Place: Mother – by Jana Asenbrennerova, San Francisco State University.
• Third Place: UCLA Dragon Boat – by Scott Dee, University of California, Los Angeles.

General News Photography
• First Place: UA med students matched – by Mike Christy, University of Arizona.
• Second Place: Spring Fling swings up – by Lisa Beth Earle, University of Arizona.
• Third Place: USAC Elections – by Maya Sugarman, University of California, Los Angeles.

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Nude Models Cover – by Alex Zamora, University of California, Santa Cruz.
• Second Place: Semi-Charmed Life – by Evan Walbridge, University of California, Berkeley.
• Third Place: Matador Statue – by Marianne Tan, California State University, Northridge.

Sports Photography
• First Place: Matadors go National – by Brianna Hart, California State University, Northridge.
• Second Place: The bear hug – by Tiffany Cheng, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Third Place: Women's Rugby – by Prescott Watson, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: La Gente, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Second Place: La Verne, University of La Verne.
• Third Place: Prime Magazine by The Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angeles.

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: Volunteers help heal at Pomona Valley Hospital – by Mark Vidal, University of La Verne.
• Second Place: From C's to A's – by Natalie Veissalov, University of La Verne.
• Third Place: Books, beauty and cowboy boots – by Erin Foltz, University of La Verne.

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Daily Californian, University of California, Berkeley.
• Second Place: The Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Third Place: Arizona Daily Wildcat, University of Arizona.

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: Los Angeles Loyolan, Loyola Marymount University.
• Second Place: The Rebel Yell, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
• Third Place: The Lumberjack, Humboldt State University.

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Court upholds immigrant law - by Ana Mendoza, California State University, Fresno.
• Second Place: Lake Drain – by Rheyanne Weaver, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: John Wooden, author and legendary UCLA coach, dies at 99 – by Sam Allen, University of California, Los Angeles.

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Rachel Edelstein & Patrick Yeung, University of California, Santa Cruz.
• Second Place: Ed Yevelev & Annie Liu, University of California, Berkeley.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Heather Price-Wright, University of Arizona.
• Second Place: Los Angeles Loyolan Editorial Board, Loyola Marymount University.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Feature Writing
• First Place: As climate warms, deserts, forests, cities face uncertain futures – by Grant Martin, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Trapped in violence: Undocumented abuse victims face hurdles – by Rebekah Zemansky, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: Wrestling, riding, fighting, rolling - this young athlete uses strength and ferocity instead of legs - by Abby Baird, University of California, Berkeley.

General Column Writing
• First Place: Kristina Bui, University of Arizona.
• Second Place: Avni Nijhawan, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Third Place: Andrew Hedlund, Arizona State University.

General News Reporting
• First Place: CSULB student officials earn third highest pay in CSU – by Alexandra Baird & Katrina Guevara, California State University, Long Beach.
• Second Place: Elk Grove neighbors protest nearby group home for juvenile sex offenders – by Deia de Brito, University of California, Berkeley.
• Third Place: Facing Eviction Due to Financial Aid – by Katie Nelson, University of California, Berkeley.

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Over and Back – by Matt Stevens & Maya Sugarman, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Second Place: Delta Airlines: The one that got away – by Karina Gonzalez & Matt Drange, Humboldt State University.
• Third Place: Most frequent Arizona Lottery players a little older, a little wealthier – by Kristena Hansen & Ryan Van Zelzer, Arizona State University.

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Kevin Zimmerman, University of Arizona.
• Second Place: Jack Wang, Ed Yevelev & Gabriel Baumgaertner, University of California, Berkeley.
• Third Place: Wyndam Makowsky, Stanford University.

Sports Writing
• First Place: To Create a Star, Add Hip-Hop to Hoops and Post to YouTube – by Sam Laird, University of California, Berkeley.
• Second Place: 5 years later, Love still heart of ASU athletics – by Gina Mizell, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: Oakland Tech’s ‘Coach D,’ 15 years in charge, pushes his players on football and family - by Kevin Fixler, University of California, Berkeley.

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: Dailybruin.com – by Daily Bruin staff, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Second Place: StatePress.com – by The State Press staff, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: ATVN.org – by Annenberg TV News staff, University of Southern California.

Best Independent Online Student Publication
• First Place: Downtown Devil, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: Speaking in Code: Profiles of the Navajo Code Talkers – by Derek Cooley, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Everybody Looks and Nobody Smiles: A Wheelchair User's Commute – by Jannon "J.J." Barrow, University of California, Berkeley.
• Third Place: There will be blood... to be cleaned up – by John Guenther, University of Southern California.

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Over and Back – by Matt Stevens, Maya Sugarman & Millie Tran, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Second Place: Dealing with the dead – by Rebekah Zemansky & Lisa Ruhl, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: The Women – by News21 staff, Arizona State University.

Online News Reporting
• First Place: How Clean Are San Francisco Restaurants? – by Mission Loc@l Staff, University of California, Berkeley.
• Second Place: Driving While Tired: Safety officials are slow to react to operator fatigue – by Tessa Muggeridge, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: Live Election Coverage – by Cronkite News staff, Arizona State University.

Online Opinion & Commentary
• First Place: Janice Vega, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: Home in Harlem – by Lance Madden & Colin Darland, University of Arizona.
• Second Place: Injured Athletes – by Ann Du & Samantha Masunaga, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-Around Radio Newscast
• First Place: The Evening Update – by KCSN-FM News staff, California State University, Northridge.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio Feature
• First Place: DBacks National Anthem Auditions – by John LaBarbera, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Sex ed revamped: squad educates teens on STDs through music – by Maya Sugarman, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: California Dreamers – by CJ Dablo, Neila Jamee & Emilie Mutert, University of Southern California.
• Second Place: Richmond Residents React to Spate of Homicides – by Heather Gilligan, University of California, Berkeley.
• Third Place: C-S-U Budget Protest – by Joseph Galli, California State University, Northridge.

Radio In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Las Vegas Gambling Revenue Declines – by Sharonna Allahyar, California State University, Northridge.
• Second Place: Distracted Driving – by Brittany Silverstein, California State University, Northridge.
• Third Place: Finding My Shoes – by Gardenia Coleman, Arizona State University.

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: Cal Tech Men's Basketball Losing Streak – by Corie Cox, California State University, Northridge.
• Second Place: Old Guys Softball League – by Joseph Buttitta, California State University, Northridge.
• Third Place: Boxing Club member Kyler Richie's love for the sport stemmed from his military roots – by Andrea Wang, University of California, Los Angeles.

Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: Cronkite NewsWatch, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Annenberg TV News, University of Southern California.
• Third Place: Valley View News, California State University, Northridge.

Television Feature
• First Place: Racetrack Minister – by Lindsey Reiser, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Garage Boxing – by Natalie Podgorski, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: Toy Maker – by Natalie Podgorski, Arizona State University.

Television Feature Photography
• First Place: Garage Boxing – by Natalie Podgorski, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Racetrack Minister – by Lindsey Reiser, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: Prescribed Burns – by Tara Prindiville, Arizona State University.

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: Rocky Point – by Toby Phillips, Arziona State University.
• Second Place: Travel Warnings Affect Mexican Border Businesses - by David Gonzalez, Arziona State University.
• Third Place: Child Care Fees – by Heather Turner, Arziona State University.

Television Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Winter Storm Special Report - by Cronkite News Staff, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Student Hospitalized – by Trevor Thompson, University of Southern California.
• Third Place: Teen Shot – by Heather Turner, Arizona State University.

Television In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Superior mining controversy – by Courtney Godfrey, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Hip Hop Appreciation Month – by Daily Bruin Staff, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Third Place: SB 1070 Continuing Coverage – by Cronkite News Staff, Arizona State University.

Television News Photography
• First Place: Please Come to Mexico! – by David Gonzalez, Arizona State University.
• Second Place: Child Care Fees – by Heather Turner, Arizona State University.
• Third Place: Wildlife Refuge Cleanup – by David Gonzalez, Arizona State University.

Television Sports Photography
• First Place: ASU Hockey/SD101 – by Tom Miller, Arziona State University.
• Second Place: Ice Fishing – by Siera Lambrecht, Arziona State University.
• Third Place: Northland Prep Academy – by Jacob Fadden, Arziona State University.

Television Sports Reporting
• First Place: Ice Fishing – by Siera Lambrecht, Arziona State University.
• Second Place: Sky Diving – by Cameron Gidari, Arziona State University.
• Third Place: MMA Bill – by Cameron Gidari, Arziona State University.

Two Year College winners:

Best All-around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: Southwestern College Sun, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Campus News, East Los Angeles College.
• Third Place: Aztec Press, Pima Community College.

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: The Southwestern Sun Online, Southwestern College.
• Second: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: El Sol, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Congressman Bob Filner at Election Central – by Daniela Padilla, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Chopra resigns – by Sean Campbell & Lyndsay Winkley, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Student leaders deny endorsing Salcido – by Alyssa Simental, Southwestern College.
• Third Place: District sponsored mailer called political – by Lyndsay Winkley, Southwestern College.

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Gabriel Orendian-Nocochea & Carlos Magana, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

General Column Writing
• First Place: Angela Van Ostran, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Albert H. Fulcher, Southwestern College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Feature Photography
• First Place: Indian culture days – by Diana Inocencio, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Style Points – by Jiamay Austria, Southwestern College.
• Third Place: Campus celebrates Mexican independence bicentennial – by Robert Sanchez, Grossmont College.

Feature Writing
• First Place: Dealing With Depression – by Liza Porter, Pima Community College.
• Second Place: Got to go back to the island – by Anthony Dacong, Southwestern College.
• Third Place: Warrior Woman – by Holly Angeles, Southwestern College.

General News Photography
• First Place: Under Pressure – by Diana Inocencio, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

General News Reporting
• First Place: Chopra resigns – by Sean Campbell & Lyndsay Winkley, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Diana Gonzalez – by Ernesto Lopez, Shane Finneran & Ryan Johnson, San Diego City College.
• Third Place: Party favors – by Lyndsay Winkley, Southwestern College.

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Chopra resigns – by Sean Campbell & Lyndsay Winkley, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Financial aid officials blame students, process – by Carmela Kelly, Paradise Valley Community College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: CUBA Celebrates 50 years of Revolution - by Christian Gutierrez, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: To name our pain - by Sheila Naajiibah Dasher, Southwestern College.
• Third Place: A heart large enough for two cultures - by Albert H. Fulcher, Southwestern College.

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Pint Sized Prodigy – by Diana Inocencio, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Takin' a break - by Amanda L. Abad & Tommy Todd, Southwestern College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Anthony Dacong, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: No Award.*
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Photography
• First Place: All the right moves – by Jiamay Austria, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Warming up in the sun – by Joshua Saposnekoo, Southwestern College.
• Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Writing
• First Place: Samoan Warriors – by Amanda Abad, Southwestern College.
• Second Place: Getting Reddy for prime time – by Samantha Mendoza, Southwestern College.
• 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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