The CUNY J-School’s AudioFiles podcast and NYCity News Service combined to take home four first-place honors April 9 in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards competition for Region 1, which covers most of the Northeast.
J-School news organizations also captured another eight finalist citations during the award ceremony at Region 1’s annual Spring Conference, held at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
Among first-place winners, which are now eligible for national SPJ awards:
• Karen Shakerdge’s AudioFiles report, “Breast Density Notification Dilemma,” won in the Radio News Reporting category. Meanwhile, her package, “Geographic Disparities in Liver Transplants,” placed in the Radio In-Depth Reporting category.
• Levi Sharpe’s AudioFiles report, “UnCharted Territory for a Brooklyn School,” won in the Radio In-Depth Reporting category.
• “The Missing,” a NYCity News service report that tells the stories of missing New Yorkers, won in the Online News Reporting category and placed in the Online In-Depth Reporting category. The package previously notched a first-place trophy in the Online News Association’s national Online Journalism Awards.
• “Twenty-Six Point Two,” a News Service special report about the New York City Marathon, won in the Online Feature Reporting category.
Among the finalists:
- The News Service’s “Counterfeit Ed,” which examines the for-profit college industry, placed in both the Online News Reporting category and the Online In-Depth Reporting category.
- The News Service’s “Without a Badge,” which examines community-driven alternatives to policing and the court system, placed in the Online News Reporting category. “Without a Badge” previously won a top Editor & Publisher EPPY Award.
- CUNY Sports Report’s package, “2015: The Year of the Female Athlete,” placed in the Online Sports Reporting category.
- Jack D’Isidoro’s “Nuyorican Bike Culture” report placed in the Radio Feature category while his story, “Hidden Costs of Food Delivery,” made the Radio News Reporting category.
The Mark of Excellence Awards, which draw more than 4,000 entries from around the U.S., celebrate the best in student journalism. Last year, the NYCity News Service took home three national SPJ honors – including the first-ever MOEy award, a best-in-show trophy – while AudioFiles also won a national award.