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 11 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 11 includes Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada. 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 11 SPJ Spring Conference held in Universal City, Calif. 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 11 WINNERS

Four-year colleges

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: CSU students arrested in protest –by Stefan Agregado, California State University, Long Beach
• Second Place: Occupy Oakland – by Elijah Nouvelage, San Francisco State University
• Third Place: CSU board of trustees vote for tuition increase at meeting turned violent – by Andrew Lopez, California State University, Northridge

Feature Photography
• First Place: Homeless with Children – by Ryan Loughlin, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: San Francisco Bay Bombers roller derby team throws down at Kezar Stadium -- Man Between Legs – by Erik Verduzco, San Francisco State University
• Third Place: Earning his stripes – by Colin Prenger, University of Arizona

General News Photography
• First Place: Let It All Hang Out: Folsom participant spitting – by Gil Riego, Jr., San Francisco State University
• Second Place: Border markets provide passage for undocumented immigrants – by Michel Duarte, Arizona State University
• Third Place: SDSU Salutes War Veterans – by Antonio Zaragoza, San Diego State University

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Special Food Issue – by Louise Leong and Nick Paris, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Second Place: Battle for Pride – by Isaac Arjonilla, University of California, Los Angeles
• Third Place: No award*

Sports Photography
• First Place: 49ers' late goal wins Big West soccer championship – by Steven Carcano, California State University, Long Beach
• Second Place: Football steamrolls UC Davis – by Beth Easterbrook, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Eye on the Ball – by Maxwell Buchanan, California Lutheran University

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Gabriel Ivan Orendain-Necochea, California State University, Northridge
• Second Place: Chelsea Rash, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Sara Donchey, San Francisco State University

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: Brink Magazine, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: State Press Magazine, Arizona State University
• Third Place: No award*

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: Ghosts of El Salvador – by Dara Kerr, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: How to Mend a Broken Heart – by Shannon Service, University of California, Berkeley
• Third Place: Los Angeles River Revival – by James Barragan, University of California, Los Angeles

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

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Rebel Yell, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Second Place: Golden Gate Xpress, San Francisco State University
• Third Place: The Santa Clara, Santa Clara University

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: At epic wreck, another victim – by Laura J. Nelson, University of Southern California
• Second Place: CSU fee hike incites violent riot – by Antonio Zaragoza, San Diego State University
• Third Place: Viral YouTube video called "repugnant" by UCLA administration – by Kate Parkinson-Morgan, University of California, Los Angeles

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Daily Bruin Editorial Board, University of California, Los Angeles
• Second Place: Krysten Jones, California Lutheran University
• Third Place: Kristina Bui, University of Arizona

Feature Writing
• First Place: Back from Libya – by Devin Kelly, University of California, Los Angeles
• Second Place: Forgotten but not gone – by Chelsea Hawkins, University of California Santa Cruz
• Third Place: Stairway to Hell – by Devin Hansrote, University of Nevada, Reno

General Column Writing
• First Place: Aysha Bagchi, Stanford University
• Second Place: Casey Given, University of California, Berkeley
• Third Place: Kristina Bui, University of Arizona

General News Reporting
• First Place: For those 'killed' by Social Security Administration error, life's hard – by Samantha Bryson, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: Student Art at Risk on HSU’s Campus – by Derek Lactaoen, Humboldt State University
• Third Place: Tattoo parlor case draws First Amendment debate - by Shawn Raymundo, Arizona State University

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Dreamers – by Kurt Wagner, Santa Clara University
• Second Place: Queasy Eats – by The North Coast Journal Staff, Humboldt State University
• Third Place: Dream State – by The Daily Californian Staff, University of California, Berkeley

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Ryan Eshoff, University of California, Los Angeles
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Sports Writing
• First Place: Scar tissue – by Katie Dowd, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: Missy Franklin: The next big thing in American swimming – by Kevin Fixler, University of California, Berkeley
• Third Place: Go father, go further – by Jack Wang, University of California, Berkeley

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: The Daily Bruin Online (www.DailyBruin.com), University of California, Los Angeles
• Second Place: The Daily Sundial Online (www.dailysundial.com), California State University, Northridge
• Third Place: The Californian Online (www.dailycal.org), University of California, Berkeley

Best Independent Online Student Publication
• First Place: Downtown Devil (www.downtowndevil.com), Arizona State University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: Life on the Light Rail – by State Press Staff, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Vietnam Medical Mini-documentary – by Katie Widner, California State University, Fullerton
• Third Place: From Toy Telescopes to the Skycenter – by Josh Morgan and John DeDios, University of Arizona

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: How safe is your food? – by News21 Staff, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Stateless in the Dominican Republic – by News21 Staff, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Dream State – by The Daily Californian Staff, University of California, Berkeley

Online News Reporting
• First Place: 24 hours at the border reveals region that defies stereotypes – by Cronkite News Staff, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Occupy Berkeley Takes to the Streets – by Jannon "J.J." Barrow, University of California, Berkeley
• Third Place: Scars of War – by Selena Larson, Stephanie Paeprer and Lindsay Hoffman, Arizona State University

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: Missy Franklin: The next big thing in American swimming – by Kevin Fixler, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: Men’s hoops tops OSU on emotional senior day – by Andrew Gruman, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Roller derby teams skate, collide toward championship – by Domenico Nicosia, Arizona State University

Online Opinion & Commentary
• First Place: Vaughn Hillyard, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Brendan Capria, Arizona State University
• Third Place: No award*

Best All-Around Radio Newscast
• First Place: Annenberg Radio News, University of Southern California
• Second Place: Long Story Short, Daily Bruin Radio, University of California, Los Angeles
• Third Place: No award*

Radio Feature Reporting
• First Place: Who needs a guitar to be a rock star? – by Christopher Connelly, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: Johnny D – by Nick Gnat, Arizona State University
• Third Place: No award*

Radio In-depth Reporting
• First Place: The War on Drugs – by Christopher Connelly, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: Undiagnosed baby in Mattel Children’s Hospital’s intensive care supported by donations from Star Wars enthusiasts – by Sarah Rogozen, University of California, Los Angeles
• Third Place: No award*

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Occupy LA coverage – by Kyle Tabuena-Frolli, University of Southern California
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: Men's basketball team reflects on replacing Tyler Honeycutt, Malcolm Lee – by Gabriel Basayne, University of California, Los Angeles
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: Cronkite NewsWatch, Arizona State University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Television Feature Reporting
• First Place: Crescent City: by Hunter Holcombe and Christopher Connelly, University of California, Berkeley
• Second Place: Female Boxing Promoter – by Krystal Klei, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Symphony Conductor – by Dan Neligh, Arizona State University

Television In-depth Reporting
• First Place: The daily journey – by Lisa Ruhl, Arizona State University
• Second Place: A line in the sand: The story of two volunteers on the U.S.-Mexico border – by Dan Neligh, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Medicaid cuts put rural hospitals on tougher financial limits – by Matthew Trotter, Arizona State University

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: American Border Patrol – by Kylee Gauna, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Bark beetles – by Taryn Hale, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Head Start expands – by Gardenia Coleman, Arizona State University

Television Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Occupy Phoenix – by Lauren Titus, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Conrad Murray guilty verdict – by Ivana Dukanovich, Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner and Alexis Zotos, University of Southern California
• Third Place: Occupy Light Rail – by Ryan Haarer, Arizona State University

Television Feature Photography
• First Place: Day and night, Santa Monica pier lights up lives of visitors – by Daily Bruin Staff, University of California, Los Angeles
• Second Place: Symphony Conductor – by Dan Neligh, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Underground Hotel – by Nathan O'Neal, Arizona State University

Television News Photography
• First Place: A line in the sand: The story of two volunteers on the U.S.-Mexico border – by Dan Neligh, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Border Rancher – by Taryn Hale, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Gila River Shelter – by Gardenia Coleman, Arizona State University

Television Sports Reporting
• First Place: Kenny Mitchell – by Isaac Easley and Lisa Blanco, Arizona State University
• Second Place: ASU lacrosse – by Jason Lewis, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Jim Brock – by Mallory Kidd, Arizona State University

Television Sports Photography
• First Place: Volleyball smarties – by Brandon Kamerman, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Inside the mind of a fighter – by Rei Estrada, University of California, Los Angeles
• Third Place: The new battlefield – by Isaac Easley, Arizona State University


Two-year and community colleges

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Sun, Southwestern College
• Second Place: Aztec Press, Pima Community College
• Third Place: The Tempest, Solano Community College

General News Reporting
• First Place: Former instructor sentenced to 25 years – by Tanya Flowers & Emanuel Bergmann, Los Angeles City College
• Second Place: Chula Vista seeks ban on sale of synthetic drugs – by Marshall Murphy, Southwestern College
• Third Place: Sandoval cleared of sexual harassment charges – by Albert H. Fulcher, Southwestern College

In-depth Reporting
• First Place: Investigation Into EducoSoft – by Emanuel Bergmann, Tanya Flowers, Thomas Pumphrey and Kalifia Madden, Los Angeles City College
• Second Place: Former VP hid, dumped millions – by Nicholas Furr, Southwestern College
• Third Place: Board fires corner lot construction firm; Union seeks corner lot PLA – by Nicholas Furr, Southwestern College

Feature Writing
• First Place: Faces of Immigration series – by Albert H. Fulcher, Ernesto Rivera, Serina Duarte and Angelica Gonzales, Southwestern College
• Second Place: One Wolfe show – by Alyssa Maness, Sacramento City College
• Third Place: Remembering a legend – by Tanya Flowers, Los Angeles City College

Sports Writing
• First Place: Winning the race of her life – by Albert Fulcher, Ernesto Rivera and Serina Duarte, Southwestern College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Tanya Flowers and Hyun Chung, Los Angeles City College
• Second Place: Sun Editorial Staff, Southwestern College
• Third Place: Gisela Lagos, San Diego Mesa College

General Column Writing
• First Place: Albert H. Fulcher, Southwestern College
• Second Place: Amanda L. Abad, Southwestern College
• Third Place: Angela Van Ostran, Southwestern College

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: The Sun Online (www.theswcsun.com), Southwestern College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Online News Reporting
• First Place: Occupy Sacramento – by L.T. Clayton, Sacramento City College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: 99% Protestors confront LAPD – by Paul Alvarez, Jr., Santa Monica College
• Second Place: Football Bowl Game Brawl – by Scott Smith, Santa Monica College
• Third Place: No award*

Feature Photography
• First Place: Lucha Vavoom – by Michael Yanow, Santa Monica College
• Second Place: Wheelchair bound triathelete denied entry – by Chris Alves, Santa Monica College
• Third Place: No award*

Sports Photography
• First Place: National playoffs bound – by Larry Gaurano, Pima Community College
• Second Place: Getting it off his Chest – by Serina Duarte, Southwestern College
• Third Place: Full court depress – by Jiamay Austria, Southwestern College

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Phillip Temple, Solano Community College
• Second Place: Rashid Hasirbaf and Carlos Magana, 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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