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CSU student journalists win several first place awards

April 25, 2011

Seven Colorado State University students won first-place awards in the annual Society of Professional Journalists Region 9 Mark of Excellence competition.

Seven students take first place

Seven CSU students won first-place awards in the annual Society of Professional Journalists Region 9 Mark of Excellence competition. The Rocky Mountain Collegian also was named the Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper for 2010. SPJ Region 9 includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This year, the contest received almost 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions.

Awards

The honorees were awarded certificates on April 9 during the Region 9 SPJ Spring Conference held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. First place regional winners will advance to the national round of judging. National winners will be announced in early May.

CSU winners in the four-year college/university categories include:

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.

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.

General Column Writing:

• First Place: Jim Sojourner, Colorado State University.
• Second Place: Ian Bezek, Colorado State University.

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.

Sports Column Writing:

• First Place: Matt L. Stephens, Colorado State University.

Sports Writing:

• First Place: "Unleash the beast" by Cris Tiller, Colorado State 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 and Jaime Pritchard, Colorado State University.

Photo Illustration:

• Second Place: "Smoking the reefer" by Samantha Baker, Colorado State University.

The finalists for the 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.

Get a complete list of the winners.

Society of Professional Journalists

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists 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 the local CSU SPJ chapter, contact the adviser, Kris Kodrich or the chapter president, Madeline Novey.