For Immediate Release:
4/06/09

Contact:
Lauren Rochester, Awards Coordinator, 317-927-8000 ext. 210, lrochester@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards winners for the 2008 calendar year. SPJ Region 5 includes Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. This year, collegiate journalists submitted more than 3,600 entries in 39 categories across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were recognized on April 4 during the regional spring conference held at the Athenaeum Foundation in Indianapolis, Indiana. First place regional winners advance to the national round of judging, which is ongoing. National winners will be announced in mid-May.

For additional information on the Mark of Excellence Awards, please contact Lauren Rochester at 317-927-8000 ext. 210 or lrochester@spj.org.

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.

2008 Region 5 Winners:

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Staff, Northern Star, Northern Illinois University, “Tragedy”
• Second Place: Staff, Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University
• Third Place: Mandy Simpson, Western Kentucky University, “Ex-Hobson House director under investigation”

General News Reporting
• First Place: Jill Laster, University of Kentucky, “Debate on drinking”
• Second Place: Holly Brown & Emily Ulber, Western Kentucky University, “Not accessible? Not acceptable?
• Third Place: Whitney Blair Wyckoff, University of Illinois, “Black agents await day in court with secret service”

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Amber Coulter, Western Kentucky University, “No horsing around”
• Second Place: Brian Spegele & Paul Coover, Indiana University, Series examining IU investment in Darfur
• Third Place: Jill Laster, University of Kentucky, “Tickets sweep campus streets”

Feature Writing
• First Place: Sean Rose, University of Kentucky, “Bridging past & present”
• Second Place: Kate Albing, Loyola University Chicago, “Class in session”
• Third Place: Eileen Ryan, Western Kentucky University, “'Cultural Islands' provide home away from home”

Sports Writing
• First Place: Jonathan Smith, University of Kentucky, “Anatomy of a turnaround”
• Second Place: Chris Gentilviso, Northwestern University, “Avoiding injury by
• Third Place: Chris Gentilviso, Northwestern University, “Worth the No. 1 ranking?”

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Brad Luttrell & Blair Thomas, University of Kentucky
• Second Place: Loyola Phoenix Editorial Board, Loyola University Chicago
• Third Place: College Heights Herald Editorial Board, Western Kentucky University

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Brian Goodley, University of Kentucky
• Second Place: Annie Erskine, Western Kentucky University
• Third Place: Erik Landorf & Caroline Murphy, DePauw University

General Column Writing
• First Place: Katie Drews & Sarah Watts, Loyola University Chicago
• Second Place: Jennifer Dooper, Western Kentucky University
• Third Place: Troy Montigney, DePauw University

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Chris Gentilviso, Northwestern University
• Second Place: J.D. Williams, University of Kentucky
• Third Place: David Harten, Western Kentucky University

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper (published at least 4 times per week)
• First Place: Staff, Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University
• Second Place: Staff, The Daily Illini, University of Illinois
• Third Place: Staff, Kentucky Kernel, University of Kentucky

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (published less than 4 times per week)
• First Place: Staff, Loyola Phoenix, Loyola University Chicago
• Second Place: Staff, College Heights Herald, Western Kentucky University
• Third Place: Staff, The Eastern Progress, Eastern Kentucky University

Magazine Non-Fiction Article
• First Place: Brian Spegele, Indiana University, “Students of war”
• Second Place: Dawn Araujo, Ball State University, “Divine Acceptance”
• Third Place: Sarah Baraba, Loyola University Chicago, “Urban Farming”

Best Student Magazine
First Place: Staff, INside Magazine, Indiana University
• Second Place: Staff, North by Northwestern, Northwestern University
• Third Place: Staff, Stitch Magazine, Northwestern University

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Matt Fields Johnson, Western Kentucky University “Fight & Frenzy”
• Second Place: Bryan Anselm, Western Kentucky University “Fight & Frenzy”
• Third Place: Staff, Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University

General News Photography
• First Place: Brittney McIntosh, University of Kentucky, “Mourning losses”
• Second Place: Alex Turco & Meredith McGrady, DePauw University, “Greek Week 2008”
• Third Place: Alex Slitz, Western Kentucky University, “Volunteers round up voters”

Feature Photography
•First Place: Kasha Stevenson, University of Kentucky, “Bridging past & present”
• Second Place: Lei Xie, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, “Living Foreign”
• Third Place: Cassandra Adamson, Ball State University, “Peru”

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Ed Matthews, University of Kentucky, “Anatomy”
• Second Place: Juli Doshan, Butler University, “Welcome to Birmingham, Butler”
• Third Place: Jon Irons & Jordan Hosmer, Butler University, “Red, White & Who?”

Sports Photography
• First Place: Brad Luttrell, University of Kentucky, “Rockin’ Rupp”
• Second Place: Scott McIntyre, Western Kentucky University, “Fumbled Opportunity”
• Third Place: Nathan Morgan, Western Kentucky University, “Big dance. Double dates.”

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Leslie Picker, University of Illinois, “Birth Centers”
• Second Place: Eric Stecking, University of Illinois, “Northern Illinois University vigil”
• Third Place: Steve Suess, Illinois State University, “Obama chooses running mate”

Radio Feature
• First Place: Whitney Blair Wyckoff, University of Illinois, “Congressional District 15”
• Second Place: Scott Leadingham, Indiana University, “Students support homeless efforts”
• Third Place: WGRE News Team, DePauw University, “Rescuing downtown Greencastle”

Radio In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Ellen Aleska, Brian Fisher, Flora Gitsis, Elizabeth Ratchford, DePauw University, “Financial crisis at DePauw University: How did DePauw spend its way into trouble”
• Second Place: John Herrick, Kate Carrico, Anna Whitelaw, Kelly Knox, DePauw University, “Should a university be in the hotel business?”
• Third Place: no award

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: Andy Selby, University of Illinois, Illinois golf practice
• Second Place: Steve Suess, Illinois State University, “NCAA Wrap”
• Third Place: no award

Radio Newscast
• First Place: Staff, Daily Illini On-Air, University of Illinois
• Second Place: no award
• Third Place: no award

Television Breaking News Reporting
no awards

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: Susanna (Sehee) Pak, University of Illinois, “Food Pantry”
• Second Place: Christine Kim, University of Illinois, “Mock Election”
• Third Place: Christine Kim, University of Illinois, “Library Offender”

Television Feature
• First Place: A. Seraphina Lin, Northwestern University, “A special bond: Brooke’s journey”
• Second Place: Kyle Mitchell, Indiana University, “Youth vote”
• Third Place: Kyle Sanders, Western Kentucky University, “Halloween”

Television In-Depth Reporting
no awards

Television Sports Reporting
no awards

Television News Photography
no awards

Television Feature Photography
no awards

Television Sports Photography
no awards

Television Newscast
no awards

Online News Reporting
• First Place: Tom Giratikanon & Patrick St. Michel, Northwestern University, “NBN at Dance Marathon 2008”
• Second Place: Tom Giratikanon & Hannah Fraser-Chanpong, Dillo Day 2008”
• Third Place: Jared T. Miller & Janna Kaplan, Northwestern University, NU Decides caps off its voter registration effort”

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: Crista Chapman, Indiana University, “Healing Positive”
• Second Place: Lauren C. Ruth, Northwestern University, “What it takes to be a bucket boy in Chicago”
• Third Place: Dagny Salas, Northwestern University, “The Cradle Adoption Agency doesn’t just change lives”

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Staff, North by Northwestern, Northwestern University, “Freshman Housing Guide 2008”
• Second Place: Katharine Euphrat, Northwestern University, “Let’s go home”
• Third Place: Drew Hainz, Natalie Moya, Tynesia Ross & Rebecca Vetter, Ball State University, “A journey of faith”

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: Patrick St. Michel, Jason Plautz, Tom Giratikanon & Michael Lanning, Northwestern University, “North by Northwestern at the 2008 Alamo Bowl”
• Second Place: Kaitlin Mitchell, Aimee Shatto & Rebecca Vetter, Ball State University, “Not another ball game”
• Third Place: no award

Online Opinion & Commentary
• First Place: Jason Plautz, Northwestern University, “Why you should care”
• Second Place: Michelle Glorioso, Western Kentucky University, “Poor musical choices”
• Third Place: Tedde Hardin, Western Kentucky University, “Obama/McCain Tools”

Best Affiliated Web site
no awards

Best All-Around Independent Online Student Publication
• First Place: Staff, North by Northwestern, Northwestern University
• Second Place: no award
• Third Place: no award

For additional information on the Mark of Excellence Awards, please contact Lauren Rochester at (317) 927-8000 ext. 210 or lrochester@spj.org.

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 on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

-END-