Journalism students best all other colleges at WPA contest
For the second straight year, Western Washington University journalism students won the sweepstakes award at the Washington Press Association journalism contest.
The award, given to the school with the most awards in the college category, was announced this past weekend at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Western students won 29 out of the 58 awards given in the collegiate category for writing, photography and design. Thirteen were for first place, eight for second place and six for third place. Two students won honorable mention awards.
Students won the awards for their work in the WWU student publications The Western Front, Klipsun Magazine and Planet Magazine; students also won for work they did as interns for several professional news organizations, including The Seattle Times and the Skagit Valley Herald.
Western journalism alumni also were well-represented among the winners. Winning five awards each were 2010 Western journalism grad Jeremy Schwartz, now a reporter for the Peninsula Daily News, and Gina Cole, a 2012 graduate, for her work at the Skagit Valley Herald. Cole now works at The Seattle Times. Olivia Henry, a 2013 graduate, shared two awards with colleagues for their work at Investigate West, where she was an intern in the summer of 2013. James Andrews, who graduation from WWU in 2010, won three awards for his reporting in Food Safety News.
Western journalism students also are competing for Mark of Excellence awards in the Region 10 Society of Professional Journalists contest. Winners in that contest will be announced May 3 at the regional conference in Portland.
WPA contest student winners:
News—breaking news
First: Hannah Leone, The Western Front (WWU), “Downtown hit and run”
News – general news
Second: Hannah Leone, The Western Front (WWU), “AS corrects pay miscalculations”
News – social issues, religion, minority affairs
Second: Shelby Rowe, The Western Front (WWU), “Stolen valor”
Third: Shannen Kuest, Klipsun magazine (WWU), “Arriving at identities”
News – agriculture and environment
First: Issac K. Martin, The Planet (WWU), “Sniffing for scat”
Second: James Leder, The Planet (WWU), “On the edge of climate change”
Third: Meg Duke, The Planet (WWU), “Hanford: A problem from the past”
News – government/politics
First: Kira Taylor, The Planet (WWU), “Coal controversy”
Features – general
Third: Genevieve Iverson, Klipsun magazine (WWU), “From Enlistment to Enrollment”
Features – personality profile
First: Francine St. Laurent, Western Front (WWU), "Think Positive..."
Second: Alisa Gramann, Klipsun magazine (WWU), "People First"
Third: Mindon Win, Klipsun magazine (WWU), "Unconventional Sleuthing"
Features – food
First: Brooke Warren, Klipsun magazine (WWU), “Older is bolder”
Features – arts and entertainment
First: Hannah Leone, WWU, Seattle Times, “Thresholds marks the unmarked at Kent cemetery”
Second: Hannah Leone, WWU, Seattle Times, “Rock-camp girls to rock Neptune”
Photography – general news
First: Nick Gonzales, WWU, Skagit Valley Herald, “Camp Phoenix”
Second: Brooke Warren, WWU, Skagit Valley Herald, “A patriot’s son”
Third; Brooke Warren, WWU, Skagit Valley Herald, “Washington parks birthday”
HM: Margaret Degman, The Western Front (WWU), “Fred Meyer construction”
Photography – breaking news
First: Nick Gonzales, The Western Front (WWU), “Flashing the cops”
Second: Nick Gonzales, The Western Front (WWU), “Bellingham riot”
Photography – feature
First: Brooke Warren, WWU, Skagit Valley Herald, “Last minute adjustment”
Second: Nick Gonzales, Klipsun magazine (WWU), “Mount Baker”
Photography – portrait
First: Evan Abell, The Western Front (WWU), “Kiana Gandy”
HM: Margaret Degman, Klipsun magazine (WWU), “Robert Yaple”
Photography – sports
First: Brooke Warren, WWU, Skagit Valley Herald, “Bullriding”
Graphic design/editing – cover art
First: Nick Gonzales, Klipsun magazine (WWU), “Speed”
Third Nick Gonzales, Klipsun magazine, “Blend”
Graphic design/editing – page layout
First: James Rogers, The Planet (WWU), “Recovery” issue
WPA contest alumni winners:
Daily newspapers
News – Breaking news
First: Jeremy Schwartz, Peninsula Daily News, “Neighbors tell of bulldozer rampage”
(WWU 2010)
News – general news
Second: Gina Cole, Skagit Valley Herald, “Coal trains: what’s the impact?” (WWU 2012)
HM: Jeremy Schwartz, Peninsula Daily News, “Gales neighborhood rebuilding”
News – government/politics
Second: Gina Cole, Skagit Valley Herald, “Population without representation”
Third: Gina Cole, Skagit Valley Herald, “Scales of justice”
HM: Jeremy Schwartz, Peninsula Daily News, “Peninsula businesses”
News – health/medicine
First: Gina Cole, Skagit Valley Herald, “A healthy merger”
Series of stories on single subject
First: Olivia Henry (WWU 2013), Kate Martin, InvestigateWest, “Exhausted”
Second: Gina Cole, Skagit Valley Herald, “Williams homicide-by-abuse trial”
Features – general
Third: Jeremy Schwartz, Peninsula Daily News, "Mysterious Affliction"
Second: James Andrews, Food Safety News, "Beef Research Money ..."
HM: Jeremy Schwartz, Peninsula Daily News, "Photographer on treasure hunt for flowers"
News – investigative/watchdog
First: Robert McClure, Olivia Henry, Jason Alcorn, InvestigateWest, “Boeing”
News – agriculture/environment
HM: James Andrews, Food Safety News, “As California begins regulating fracking, agricultural concerns arise”
Features – personality profile
First: James Andrews, Food Safety News, "Keene remembered"