Students Win Awards From Society of Professional Journalists

Seven entrants from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism were honored with SPJ’s Mark of Excellence Awards.

First place regional winners will advance to the national round of the competition.

The winners:

First Place, Online News Reporting: “How Clean Are San Francisco Restaurants?” “Ó by Mission Loc@l Staff. (Project led by Ashwin Seshagiri.)

First Place, Sports Writing: “To Create a Star, Add Hip-Hop to Hoops and Post to YouTube” “Ó by Sam Laird.

Second Place, General News Reporting: “Elk Grove neighbors protest nearby group home for juvenile sex offenders” “Ó by Deia de Brito.

Second Place, Radio News Reporting: “Richmond Residents React to Spate of Homicides” “Ó by Heather Gilligan.

Second Place, Online Feature Reporting: “Everybody Looks and Nobody Smiles: A Wheelchair User’s Commute” “Ó by J.J. Barrow.

Third Place, Sports Writing: “Oakland Tech’s ‘Coach D,’ 15 years in charge, pushes his players on football and family” “Ó by Kevin Fixler.

Third Place, Feature Writing: “Wrestling, riding, fighting, rolling – this young athlete uses strength and ferocity instead of legs” “Ó by Abby Baird.

Also, the Daily Cal won first place for best all-around daily student newspaper.

The awards ceremony was held at the recent SPJ conference, “The New Wave of Journalism: 2011 SPJ Spring Conference,” held April 29-30 in San Diego.