Sundial students at the CCMA awards in San Diego. Photo courtesy of Melissa Lalum.

The students in California State University, Northridge’s journalism department are keeping up a decades-long tradition by winning more than a dozen awards for outstanding journalism this semester.

The latest honors include KCSN News reporter Stephanie Marroquin’s first place in the Society of Professional Journalists’ national Mark of Excellence Awards for her sports story on football concussions among high school athletes. CSUN’s student-run media outlets Valley View News, KCSN News and the Daily Sundial also recently won awards at the Society of Professional Journalist’s (SPJ’s) awards Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards in Honolulu.

“I’m thrilled by this latest round of awards for our student journalists – particularly because they recognize the breadth and successes of our student media programs,” said Linda Bowen, chair of CSUN’s journalism department. “These awards from SPJ honoring the best of collegiate journalism in our region acknowledge individual and group achievement in television, radio, online and visual journalism. This is quite a distinction for our student journalists and adds to our growing reputation for producing award-winning journalism on multiple platforms.”

Marroquin won the first-place award before advancing to the national competition. Student journalist Adam Schumes’ story, “Paying College Athletes,” was a regional finalist at the SPJ awards.

“This award truly means a lot to me, especially at this point in my life where I’m finishing college and entering the professional world,” Marroquin said. “My heart is fully set on becoming a sports reporter, and so seeing my work being recognized really resonates with my passion.”

Valley View News won the best all-around television newscast award, and KCSN News took home two awards for radio sports reporting from the society of professional journalist’s regional competition.

“The Valley View students can be proud of winning this top award in the vigorous SPJ competition,” said journalism professor James Hill, the faculty adviser for the student TV production, Valley View News. “It says so much about their hard work and the progress they’ve made as student journalists in our department.”

KCSN’s newscast, “The Evening Update,” was a finalist for the best all-around radio newscast in the regional contest. In April, the student radio news team also earned its 34^th  Edward R. Murrow Award given by the Radio Television Digital News Association.

At SPJ’s Region 11 awards, The Daily Sundial was a finalist for best all-around daily student newspaper; editor Loren Townsley’s “Addicted to Energy Drinks” photo illustration was also a finalist for photo illustration, and reporter Shira Moskowitz was a finalist for general news reporting for her “Commencement Chaos” story during the fall 2013 semester.

Last month, the Daily Sundial won multiple awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s “Excellence in Campus Journalism competition” for 2013, including two first places for photography and writing.

John Saringo-Rodriguez took first place for a volleyball photo and Bianca Santillan won a first–place award in writing award in the four-year college division for her piece on college debt. Charlie Kaijo took second place in the news photo division for his image taken at a climate rally.

The Sundial was a blue ribbon finalist for general excellence, which means it was a top–four finisher among four-year universities. Senior Jennifer Luxton also earned a blue ribbon for her feature story on streaming vs. cable options.

The Daily Sundial also received 15 awards at the 2013-14 California College Media Association (CCMA) awards last month at the Catamaran Hotel in San Diego. More than 50 schools from around the state took part in the competition.

At the CCMA, the Sundial staff won awards for news stories, best overall design, headlines, multimedia and cartoons. It took a second-place award for general excellence among all daily student-run newspapers in California. UCLA’s Daily Bruin was first and UC Berkeley’s Daily California was third.

Melissa Lalum, a CSUN journalism lecturer and publisher of the Sundial, said receiving these awards is particularly meaningful to full-time students.

“We compete against excellent schools, so these awards really speak to the talent of our staff and their work ethic,” said Lalum. “Managing a multi-platform product day in and day out during the academic year, along with taking a full load of classes, is hard work. I am proud of their dedication and the pride they take in their work.”

The judges noted, “The Daily Sundial does a phenomenal job of including diverse voices from student and campus officials in its reporting. The paper also is smartly interactive, leading the reader to online features, surveys and questions.”

CSUN’s journalism department also took home an award for its Pop-Up Newsroom, an innovative, decentralized method of covering news that leverages handheld devices and social media.

The CSUN department of journalism, a nationally accredited undergraduate program, is home to seven award-winning, student-run contemporary and digital news media operations as well as a thriving public relations curriculum.

For more information on the Department of Journalism and The Daily Sundial, call (818) 677-3135.

Awards and Honors, Mike Curb College of Arts Media and Communication, Students