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Students from Western Washington University received awards at the Region 10 Society of Professional Journalists Spring Conference held May 2 and 3 at University of Oregon’s White Stag Building in Portland, Ore.

Western students won 11 Mark of Excellence awards given to four-year college students, for their work at three of Western’s student-produced publications, The Western Front, Klipsun and The Planet, as well as through an internship at the Skagit Valley Herald.

The two first place winners from Western go on to national competition; the national conference is Sept. 4-6 in Nashville, Tenn. The two first-place winners were for best student magazine, The Planet, a publication of Western’s Huxley College of the Environment; and best in-depth reporting by Olivia Henry (Waterford, Va.) for her story “The internship: Does it pay to pay?” which appeared in the Western Front.

SPJ Region 10 includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Western students, awards won and hometowns are:

Breaking News Reporting

Finalist: “Young and homeless: Man crosses country to find better life” by Shannen Kuest (Spokane Valley), published in The Western Front

In-Depth Reporting

Winner: “The internship: Does it pay to pay?” by Olivia Henry (Waterford, Va.), published in The Western Front

Finalist: “AS corrects pay miscalculations for 44 positions” by Hannah Leone (Bothell), The Western Front

Feature Writing

Finalist: “Campus vets face PTSD triggers on daily basis” by Shelby Rowe (Bonney Lake), The Western Front

Finalist: “Danger: YouTube Challenges” by Stephanie Kirk (Federal Way), The Western Front

Editorial Writing

Finalist: Danyal Lotfi-Chahardeh (Rasht, Iran), Hannah Leone (Bothell), Mike Gore (Seattle) and Allana Schwaab (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho), The Western Front

Non-Fiction Magazine Article

Finalist: “Hanford: A Problem from the Past” by Meg Duke (Bothell), The Planet Magazine

Best Student Magazine

Winner: The Planet Magazine

General News Photography

Finalist: “Camp Phoenix” by Nick Gonzales (San Jose, Calif.), Skagit Valley Herald

Feature Photography

Finalist: “Kayak Rolling” by Danny Miller (Phoenix, Ariz.), The Western Front

Finalist: “Civil War” by Evan Abell (Monroe), Klipsun Magazine

for a complete list of Region 10 winners. For more information, contact Peggy Watt, associate professor of journalism, at 360-650-2338 or peggy.watt@wwu.edu.