CONTACT: Katie Knorovsky, 515-271-1834, katie.knorovsky@drake.edu
Drake University journalism students earned two first-place honors and a total of six Region 7 Mark of Excellence awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for work in the 2006 calendar year. Collegiate journalists submitted more than 3,300 entries in 39 categories across SPJ’s 12 regions.
“I am especially proud of the breadth of our awards this year — we won for print and online publications and for photography, news reporting and feature writing,” said Patricia Prijatel, director and associate dean of Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “This demonstrates the diverse nature of a Drake journalism education — and, of course, it once again shows the talent of our students.”
The honorees were awarded certificates on April 14 during the Spring Conference held at Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Clayton. First place regional winners advanced to the national round of judging that took place in early April. National winners will be announced in May.
Drake winners were:
Feature Photography
First Place: Alex Harkness, a 2006 Drake graduate from Kansas City, Kan., “Capturing Classics.”
Best Affiliated Web site
First Place: Staff, “Drake Magazine Online.”
Photo Illustration
Second Place: Piotr Jakubowski, a junior from Jakarta, Indonesia, and Leah Marr, a senior from Lincoln, Neb., “Money in Motion.”
Online News Reporting
Second Place: Sheena Gebhardt, a junior from Osseo, Minn., “Back to Plan A.”
Magazine Non-Fiction Article
Third Place: Nic Young, a 2006 Drake graduate from Iowa City, “It’s not Easy Being Green.”
Online Feature Reporting
Third Place: Tim Laehn, a junior from Allison, Iowa, “School Behind Bars.”
SPJ is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.