Staffers and contributors to the Newport Beach Independent won six awards, and its sister Firebrand Media publications won five more, Wednesday night at the annual Orange County Press Club Awards Banquet.
First-, second- and third-place awards were given in 15 categories at the event. Press Club members submitted stories and photos that were published or posted in 2010, and judging was done by press clubs in other areas of the country.
Indy Editor Roger Bloom won third place in the Best Humorous Story category for the article, “Enough Already: Books That Should Be Banned.” Indy photo contributor Randy Seton won third place in the Best Photo category for his shot of a nighttime lightning strike over the Balboa Pavilion.
Meanwhile, Indy contributor Eric Longabardi took second in the humor category for an article that appeared on his website, The Enterprise Report, and Firebrand Group Editor and NB Indy contributor Kedric Francis won three awards – third in Best Feature Story, and both second and third in Best Round-Up or “Best of” Feature – for stories done when he was editor of Riviera magazine.
At our sister paper, the Laguna Beach Independent, Ted Reckas won a first-place trophy in the Best Photo category, and took third in the Best Sports Story competition, while Jennifer Erickson took home a third-place award in the Best News Story category and a third in Best Business Story.
Jennifer Simon of Laguna Beach magazine, another of our sister publications, won third place in the Best Art or Culture Story category.
