Patch Editors Honored at Journalism Awards Ceremony

Bay Area Patch editors were honored for their work in 2010 at The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club's 34th annual Professional Journalism Awards Ceremony Saturday night.

Nineteen awards in nine categories were presented to Patch.com staff, including second and third place in the Overall Excellence category.

The winners were selected from 523 entries from media professionals in the 11 Greater Bay Area counties.

Kristine Wong, local editor of the Half Moon Bay Patch won a first-place award for her Feature Story of a Light Nature, “Dia de los Muertos: Generations Past and Present, Together.”

In three Web categories, Patch editors won all three awards, including entertainment, sports and headlines. 

First-place honors were given to Mill Valley Patch Local Editor Jim Welte and freelancers, Russell Albert Daniels, Hans Roenau, and Atissa Manshouri, in the entertainment category for the site’s stellar coverage of the Mill Valley Film Festival.

Sports editor for the 12 Peninsula Patch sites, Scott Campbell, took first place for “Football: Palo Alto Wins State Title in Stunner!”

He also won a third-place plaque for “Grasping Palo Alto's Accomplishment.”

San Carlos Patch Local Editor Kenny Porpora’s winning headline, “Whine and Cheese(burgers)," was for a story about some local residents’ reactions to the early stages of In-N-Out Burger coming to the city.

Two scholarships were given out, including one to Steven Lau, who has freelanced for the San Ramon Patch almost from the start. The collegiate scholarship was presented to Kayla Figard, a student at College of San Mateo.

Special recognition was given to the General Excellence winner of the Press Club’s High School Journalism Contest, The Campanile, Palo Alto High School. The Paly adviser, Esther Wojcicki, accepted a plaque for the students.

Below is a list of all Patch winners:

Overall Excellence (Web only)

Second Place, San Bruno Patch, Local Editor Martin Ricard and Regional Editors Kari Hulac and Jamie White 

Third Place, Peninsula Region Patch, Regional Editor Jamie White and LEs Miriam Finder, Drew Himmelstein, Martin Ricard, David Carini, Sarah Yokubaitis, Camden Swita, Kristine Wong, Laura Dudnick, Kenny Porpora, Stacie Chan, Vanessa Castaneda and Don Frances, and sports editor Scott Campbell

Breaking News

Second Place, Menlo Park Patch, "Driver Plows Down Santa Cruz Ave, Leaves Trail Of Ruin," Vanessa Castaneda 

News Story 

Second Place, Capitola-Soquel Patch, "Soquel Creek Carcinogen," Genevieve Bookwalter 

Third Place, Palo Alto Patch, "Californians Misled By High-Speed Rail Survey," Aaron Selverston

Feature Story of a Light Nature

First Place, Half Moon Bay Patch, "Dia de los Muertos: Generations Past and Present, Together," Kristine Wong 

Feature Story of a Serious Nature

Second Place, Scotts Valley Patch, "A Young Survivor's Tale," Shannon Burkey 

Third Place, Mountain View Patch, "Breaking the Silence of Gay Bullying," Claudia Cruz, freelancer Maggie Beidelman

Entertainment

First Place, Mill Valley Patch, "Mill Valley Film Festival Coverage," LE Jim Welte, and freelancers Russell Albert Daniels, Hans Roenau and Atissa Manshouri 

Second Place, Petaluma Patch, "Transmitting Live ... From a Garage on Ely Blvd.," Karina Ioffee

Third Place, Half Moon Bay Patch, "Dickens Fair Enchants and Transcends Time This Holiday Season," Kristine Wong

Sports Story

First Place, Menlo Park Patch, "Football: Palo Alto Wins State Title in Stunner!" sports editor Scott Campbell

Second Place, Half Moon Bay Patch, "Mark Sponsler: Forecasting Big Waves for The Jay At Mavericks Surfing Competition," Kristine Wong 

Third Place, Menlo Park Patch, "Football: Grasping Palo Alto's Accomplishment," Scott Campbell

Headline

First Place, San Carlos Patch, "Whine and Cheese(burgers)," Kenny Porpora 

Second Place, Half Moon Bay Patch, "Pumpkin in My Ears, Pumpkin in My Hair, Pumpkin Everywhere: Pie Eating Contest," Kristine Wong

Third Place, El Cerrito Patch, "Is That a Green Halo Over El Cerrito's Sidewalks?" Charles Burress

Multi Media/Interactivity

Team Third Place, Dublin Patch, "A Dublin High Student Full of Cheer," Erika Conner

Third Place, Half Moon Bay Patch, "Time for Red Eggs and Ginger," Kristine Wong

Read more here.