For immediate release

Contacts:
Lauren Rochester, SPJ Awards Coordinator, 317-927-8000 ext. 210, lrochester@spj.org
Abby Henkel, SPJ Communications Manager, 317-927-8000 ext. 215, ahenkel@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 7 Mark of Excellence Award winners for the 2011 calendar year. The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best collegiate journalism in the U.S.

SPJ Region 7 includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. This year, the contest received more than 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were awarded certificates on March 31 during the Region 7 SPJ Spring Conference held at the Iowa State University Memorial Union in Ames, Iowa. First-place regional winners will advance to the national round of judging. National winners will be announced in late April.

The winners are listed below. For additional information on the Mark of Excellence awards, please contact Awards Coordinator Lauren Rochester at lrochester@spj.org.

REGION 7 WINNERS

Four-year colleges

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Osama bin Laden’s death – by Kelsey Kremer, Iowa State University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Feature Photography
• First Place: Destination Iowa State: fight song – by Kelsey Kremer, Iowa State University
• Second Place: Jazz and blues ring through old Webster – by Brittany Ruess, Webster University
• Third Place: No award*

General News Photography
• First Place: Madison protest: Speaking out – by Kelsey Kremer, Iowa State University
• Second Place: Iowa Republican presidential debate – by Yue Wu, Iowa State University
• Third Place: Madison protest: Standing watch – by Kelsey Kremer, Iowa State University

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Amber Connett – by Kelsey Kremer, Iowa State University
• Second Place: Back to the top: 2011 Creighton men's basketball preview – by Dominic Dongilli and Scarlett Blake, Creighton University
• Third Place: Scammed – by Jason Oelmann, Drake University

Sports Photography
• First Place: Coach celebrates victory – by Matt Kile, Missouri State University
• Second Place: Volleyball victory – by Brittany Ruess, Webster University
• Third Place: Pinstripe Bowl: Jawan Jamison – by Tim Reuter, Iowa State University

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: Vox Magazine – by the Vox Magazine staff, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Drake Magazine – by the Drake Magazine staff, Drake University
• Third Place: Detours Magazine – by the Detours Magazine staff, Truman State University

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: The secret life of mules – by Eric Holmberg, Caitie Carter and Mike Jenner, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Scammed – by Joe Stych, Drake University
• Third Place: Turned away – by Ellen Jean Hirst, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: Iowa State Daily, Iowa State University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Standard, Missouri State University
• Second Place: Creightonian, Creighton University
• Third Place: No award*

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Prospective K-State student comes forward in Syracuse abuse scandal – by Caroline Sweeney and Mark Kern, Kansas State University
• Second Place: Kahler murder trial: Son tells court his father 'shot my mom' – by Sangeeta Shastry, University of Missouri
• Third Place: Timothy Wolfe named UM System President – by Zach Murdock and Raymond Howze, University of Missouri

Editorial Writing
• First Place Kirsten Jacobsen, University of Iowa
• Second Place: Taysha Murtaugh and John Lonsdale, Iowa State University
• Third Place: Vikaas Shanker and Joel Petterson, University of Kansas

Feature Writing
• First Place: Citizens for Justice – by Brad Racino, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Fulfilling her dream to be a mom – by Emily Nohr, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Third Place: Teen ran out of miracles – by Ellen Jean Hirst, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

General Column Writing
• First Place: Jessica Bruning, Iowa State University
• Second Place: James Castle, Mandy Matney and Vikaas Shanker, University of Kansas
• Third Place: Jessica Bruning, Iowa State University

General News Reporting
• First Place: Small-town residents saddened by prospect of post offices closing – by Sarah Hoffman, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Ames Straw Poll serves as Republican Party of Iowa's biggest fundraiser – by Jessica Opoien, Iowa State University
• Third Place: Aggieville invaded by staggering zombies hunting for food – by Karen Ingram, Kansas State University

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Residents of Regency trailer park trapped between city, park management – by Brad Racino, University of Missouri
• Second Place: In testimony in Ryan Ferguson case, a question of memory – by Sangeeta Shastry, University of Missouri
• Third Place: Department of Mental Health faces overtime issues from understaffing – by Victoria Guida, University of Missouri

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Matt Entringer, Creighton University
• Second Place: Josh Sellmeyer, Webster University
• Third Place: No award*

Sports Writing
• First Place: Barnett leads Cyclones to biggest upset in school history – by Jake Calhoun, Iowa State University
• Second Place: Tiny celebrity inspires mom – by Harrison Keegan, Missouri State University
• Third Place: Former Webster University student, TV actor returns to field of dreams – by Daniel Bauman, Webster University

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: The Iowa State Daily (www.iowastatedaily.com), Iowa State University
• Second Place: The Baker Orange (www.thebakerorange.com), Baker University
• Third Place: No award*

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: 30 under 30 – by Ileana Llorens, Kristin Kellogg and Rhonda Prast, University of Missouri
• Second Place: A passion for philanthropy – by Rachel Dannen and Allysha Newton, Baker University
• Third Place: Ni Hao, Iowa City! – by Guannan Huang, University of Iowa

Online News Reporting
• First Place: Student veterans – by Ileana Llorens, Kristin Kellogg and Rhonda Prast, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Moving on: Exploring the Baldwin City USD 348 consolidation – by Genevieve Des Marteau, Xiomara Nunez and Meagan Thomas, Baker University
• Third Place: Iowans fall through gaps in splintered mental health system – by Lauren Mills and Jim Malewitz, University of Iowa

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: BU wrestling – by Reina Murphy and Marlee Johnson, Baker University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Radio Feature Reporting
• First Place: Human trafficking – by Telene Jordaan, Johnson County Community College
• Second Place: Lucky You Bakery – by Becky Sullivan, University of Kansas
• Third Place: Midget wrestling – by Tommy Strauser, University of Kansas

Radio In-depth Reporting
• First Place: Joplin rebuilding, with faith – by Matt Evans, University of Missouri
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Fire destroys historic Boonville restaurant – by Elizabeth Trovall, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Remembering Libya, remembering Ghadafi – by Nick Gass, University of Missouri
• Third Place: Girls “Rock!” summer camp – by Lindsey Peterson, University of Nebraska-Omaha

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: WFTDA roller derby – by Rebecca Fensholt, University of Kansas
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: Ozarks News Journal, Missouri State University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Television Feature Reporting
• First Place: Keeping his cool – by Jonah Javad, University of Missouri
• Second Place: What Missouri fans can expect from SEC tradition: Bulldogs style – by Kylie McGivern, University of Missouri
• Third Place: Missouri veteran finds hope in the Perfect Fit – by Kylie McGivern, University of Missouri

Television In-depth Reporting
• First Place: The price of parking – b y Brian Johnson, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Missouri automotive industry makes a comeback – by Kylie McGivern, University of Missouri
• Third Place: MU alumni in KC root to keep rivalry alive – by Emily Spain, University of Missouri

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: Keep on truckin’ – by Jonah Javad, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Three-year-old tells experience of Joplin tornado – by Brian Johnson and Todd Tumminia, University of Missouri
• Third Place: Target 8 Investigation: The history of Peppers Nightclub – by Jessica Smith, University of Missouri

Television Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: President Obama visits Joplin – by Jonah Javad, University of Missouri
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Television Feature Photography
• First Place: Mental health in the Johnson County prison system – by Joshua Browning, Johnson County Community College
• Second Place: New bike trail – by Grant Bochantin, Missouri State University
• Third Place: No award*

Television News Photography
• First Place: Volunteers send care packages to Marines – by Emily Spain, University of Missouri
• Second Place: Keep on truckin’ – by Jonah Javad, University of Missouri
• Third Place: No award*

Television Sports Reporting
• First Place: Striking chords – by Jonah Javad, University of Missouri
• Second Place: A weekend for the aces – by Jonah Javad, University of Missouri
• Third Place: Pierre DeClue: A slideshow of life – by Christopher Saunders, University of Missouri


Two-year and community colleges

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Montage Student Newspaper, St. Louis Community College - Meremac
• Second Place: The Campus Ledger, Johnson County Community College
• Third Place: No award*

Editorial Writing
• First Place: The Campus Ledger, Johnson County Community College
• Second Place: Camillya Blount, Joshua Golden and Jessica Penland, St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley
• Third Place: No award*

Feature Photography
• First Place: Homemade Halloween – by Michael House, Johnson County Community College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Feature Writing
• First Place: Kicking the habit – by Mackenzie Clark, Johnson County Community College
• Second Place: Welcome home DJ Kut – by Camillya Blount, St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley
• Third Place: A Battle Worth Passing Over – by Anthony Pickens, St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley

General News Photography
• First Place: Japan festival – by Hannah Hunsinger and Aaron Wagner, Johnson County Community College
• Second Place: Storms in St. Louis – by Bradley Rayford, St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley
• Third Place: No award*

General News Reporting
• First Place: Budget cut series – by staff, St. Louis Community College - Meramec
• Second Place: TRIO grant awards $47.7 million – by Christine Willbrand, St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley
• Third Place: Student reports kidnapping in parking garage – by Tasha Cook, Johnson County Community College

Photo Illustration
• First Place: "In Focus: National Depression Awareness Month..." – by Hannah Hunsinger, Johnson County Community College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Sports Writing
• First Place: An athletic dilemma: Cost versus accountability – by Kurt Oberreither and Spencer Gleason,
• Second Place: Volleyball team wraps up successful season – by Tasha Cook, Johnson County Community College
• Third Place: Setting the pace and leaping bounds – by Anthony Pickens, St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley


* 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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