草榴社区

aerial view of Western's campus at night, with golden lights surrounded by dark trees

草榴社区 Students Honored by Society of Professional Journalists

Students from Western Washington University were honored with Region 10 Mark of Excellence Awards by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) at the spring conference held April 11 in Spokane.

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 KUGS radio broadcast. The MOE Awards honor the best of collegiate journalism for the 2014 calendar year.

草榴社区’s environmental magazine, The Planet, was named the top collegiate magazine in the region which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Nick Gonzales was also honored with a first-place award for his work in sports photography for theWestern Athletic Department.The Planet Magazine and Gonzales will go on to the national level where they will compete against regional winners from across the country. National winners will be recognized Sept. 18-20 at  awards in Orlando, Florida.

Western students, awards won and hometowns are:

Best Student Magazine
Winner: “The Human Issue” by The Planet staff, The Planet Magazine

Feature Photography
Finalist: “At Home in the Woods” by Danny Miller (Phoenix, Arizona), The Planet Magazine

Finalist: “Soakin' up the Sun” by Bailey Barnard (North Bend), The Western Front

Sports Photography
Winner: “Woodworth, the Hero” by Nick Gonzales (San Jose, California), Western Athletic Department

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
Finalist: “Wonders of the Wilderness: Local Foragers Enriched by Wild Foods” by Michelle Dutro (Bellevue), Klipsun Magazine

Finalist: “Switch: Breaking Gender Norms in Sports” by Mikayla Raley (North Bend), Klipsun Magazine

Best Use of Multimedia
Finalist: “Peeking into the Past” by Becca Freimuth (East Wenatchee), Klipsun Magazine

Radio Feature
Finalist: “The Green Blues” by Sam Carlos (Edmonds), KUGS

Radio News Reporting
Finalist: “Sex Workers Left out of Conversation on Sex Trafficking Prevention” by Taylor Sanders (Kennewick), KUGS

For a complete list of Region 10 winners, visit:

For more information, contact Jack Keith, senior instructor of Journalism, at (360) 650-6244 or jack.keith@wwu.edu.