Award winners for the 2016 annual contest for work produced during 2015.

DIGITAL/BLOGS

Best News Story
First place: Nick Gerda, Voice of OC
“Supervisors Backed Off Criticism of Jail Phones After Contributions From Vendor”
Second place: Greg Hardesty, Behind the Badge
“A young police explorer, a funeral, and the one thing he dreamed of having: a badge”
Third place: Nick Gerda, Voice of OC
“Dog Attack on Pregnant Woman Raises More Questions About County Animal Control”

Best News Feature Story
First place: Greg Hardesty, Behind the Badge
“Anatomy of a Cold Case: After 40 years, La Palma Police believe they have their killer”
Second place: Amy DePaul, Voice of OC
“Battered Lives: Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Abuse Hard for Immigrant Families”
Third place: David Washburn, Voice of the OC
“A Fighter Steps Out of the Ring”

Best News or Political Blog
First place: Norberto Santana Jr., Voice of OC

Best Public Affairs Story
First place: Adam Elmahrek, Voice of OC
“Fast Times at Rancho Santiago: College District Officials Travel in Luxury on Taxpayer’s Dime”

Second place: Thy Vo, Voice of OC
“Dick Jones’ Sweet Deal in Westminster”

Third place: Amy DePaul, Voice of OC
“Battered Lives: Santa Ana’s Ongoing Struggle With Domestic Violence”

Best Feature Story
First place: Greg Hardesty, Behind the Badge
“From the back of a Fullerton PD car, a suspect utters surprising words to arresting officer”
Second place: Jaimee Lynn Fletcher, Behind the Badge
“Crips gang member shot in face reunites with Tustin PD officers who arrested him”

Third place: Thy Vo, Voice of OC
“Struggles of Second Generation Reveal Long Shadow of War”

Best Food Blog
First place: Kristine Hoang, editor, “Stick a Fork in It,” OC Weekly

Best Entertainment or Culture Blog
First place: Nate Jackson, editor, “Heard Mentality,” OC Weekly
Second place: Matt Coker, OC Weekly

Best Music/Entertainment Story
First place: Nate Jackson, OC Weekly
“Why Should People High Five Each Other More Often at Coachella?”

Best Music/Entertainment Review
First place: Daniella Litvak, Orange Curtain Review
“VietLove or VietLust? : Vietgone @ South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa”

Best Arts/Culture Story
First place: Liz Goldner, KCET Artbound
“The Roots of Radical Art at University of California, Irvine”
Second place: Liz Goldner, KCET Artbound
“Sandow Birk: Re-contextualizing the California Experience”
Third place: Richard Chang, Los Angeles Times
“Young Chinese Artists Have a Lot to Say”

Best Lifestyle or Family Blog
First place: Greg Hardesty, Lori Basheda, Jaimee Lynn Fletcher, Behind the Badge

PHOTOGRAPHY

Best News Photo
First place: Steven Georges, Behind the Badge
“Photo of Buena Park Police Chief Corey Sianez”

Best Photo Essay (print)
First Place: Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register
“Shrines, prayers for Our Lady of Guadalupe”
Second Place: Michael Goulding, Orange County Register
Third Place: Leonard Ortiz, Coast

Best Sports Photo
First place: Michael Goulding, Orange County Register
Second place: Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register
Third place: Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register

Best Feature Photo
First place: Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register
“Christmas Babies”
Second place: Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register
“Military School Graduation”
Third place: Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register
“Virtual Reality”
Honorable mention: Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register
“The Wedge”

Best Portrait
First Place: Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register
“Photo from June 14”
Second Place: Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register
“Photo of Graduate”

Third Place: Ana Venegas, Orange County Register
“Photo of The Most Venerable Thich Quang Thanh”

Best Slideshow (online)
First Place: Julie Leopo, The Voice of OC
“Summer In The City: Innocence Lost and Found”
Second Place: Julie Leopo, The Voice of OC
“The Voice of Fourth Street”
Third Place: Steven Georges, Behind the Badge
“Garden Grove Police Help Homeless”
Honorable Mention: Brad Johnson, Orange County Register
“Where to Eat In Mexico”

BROADCAST

Best News Story
First place: Anthony Porrazzo, Orange County Catholic
“Fr. James Nieblas Receives Bishop’s Blessing Prior to Meeting Pope”

Best Sports Story
First place: Anthony Porrazzo, Orange County Catholic
“It Was Mater Dei Over Servite in Football Rivalry”

Best Feature Story
First place: Matt Kollar, OC Weekly
“What’s It Like Behind the Scenes at Medieval Times?”
Second place: LP Hastings, OC Weekly
“Real Shop Cats of OC”

DESIGN & GRAPHICS

Best Page Design (single story)
First place: John Cheresh, UCI @ 50
“A Half-Century of Superlatives”

Best Graphic or Illustration
First place: Bob Aul, OC Weekly
“Guilty”
Second place: Kurt Snibbe, UCI@50
“Aldrich Park”

Best Cover
First place: Denise Smaldino, Orange County Register
“Creativity”

Second place: Dustin Ames, OC Weekly
“Masquerade”

Third place: Denise Smaldino, Orange County Register
“Let’s Eat Out”
Honorable Mention: Dustin Ames, OC Weekly
“Stink City”

PRINT

Best News Story
First place: Erika Ritchie, Orange County Register
“Tangled in trouble: Record number of ensnared whales, may be due to warmer waters”
Second place: Scott Schwebke and Alma Fausto, Orange County Register
“‘They are going to whup me’: Carjacking, kidnapping suspect calls Register while barricaded inside Santa Ana mobile home”
Third place: Deepa Bharath, Orange County Register
“After UC Irvine grad chooses to die, ‘Death with dignity’ gains traction, but some fear dire consequences”

Best News Feature Story

First Place: R. Scott Moxley, OC Weekly
“Accused Murderer Awaits Execution While OC Prosecutors Hide Exculpatory DNA”
Second Place: Anh Do, Los Angeles Times
“Vietnamese refugees began new lives in Camp Pendleton’s 1975 ‘tent city’”
Third Place: Margot Roosevelt, Orange County Register
“Death threats, protests and lawsuits: Little Saigon newspaper war is about ideology, not just circulation”
Honorable Mention: Susan Christian Goulding, Orange County Register
“‘It’s like something you’d see on TV’: 29 years after he held her just once, woman found her father on Facebook”

Best Profile
First Place: Jordan Graham, Orange County Register
“How an obsessive photo collector unwittingly accumulated three storage lockers full of ‘priceless’ O.C. history”
Second Place: Anne Valdespino, Orange County Register
“The Fab Five: Are these the best ‘Iron Chefs’ in Orange County?”

Third Place: Erika Ritchie, Orange County Register
“Everyday Heroes: Howdy’s Homeless Helpers and how you can get involved”

Best Feature Story, as published in a newspaper
First Place: Anh Do, Los Angeles Times
“Vietnamese refugees began new lives in Camp Pendleton’s 1975 ‘tent city’”
Second Place: Susan Christian Goulding, Orange County Register
“Being parents of suicide victim ‘a club you don’t want to be in’”
Third Place: Greg Mellen, Orange County Register
“Aaron’s heart: Man got a life-altering gift after Huntington Beach woman decides to donate her brother’s organs”

Best Feature Story, as published in a magazine
First Place: David Ferrell, Coast Magazine
“Notes on a Winery”
Second Place: David Ferrell, Coast Magazine
“Laguna artist Elizabeth McGhee finds beauty in the past”

Third Place: Richard Chang, Laguna Beach Magazine
“Capturing the Canyon: The Story of the Tell”

Best Business Story
First place: Margot Roosevelt, Orange County Register
“A push to end mandatory workplace arbitration: Will aggrieved workers get their day in court?”
Second place: Jeff Collins, Orange County Register
“In the continuing drought, can Orange County keep building?”

Third place: Nancy Luna, Orange County Register
“Stalling, disputes, evictions: What’s slowing Union Market grand openings at The District”

Honorable mention: Margot Roosevelt, Orange County Register
“Frank Jao’s story: From refugee to business mogul”

Best Sports Story
First Place: Josh Chesler, OC Weekly
“Eddie Bravo Became a Jiu Jitsu Legend with One Win. Can His Fighting Style Now Conquer MMA?”
Second Place: Mirin Fader, Orange County Register
“CSUF soccer star thrives after overcoming homelessness, personal challenges”

Third Place: Keith Sharon, Orange County Register
“How Mickey Mouse and China led to that life-sized Mike Trout bobblehead”

Best Round-up or “Best of” Feature
First place: Nancy Luna, Orange County Register
“Santa Ana’s 4th Street Market: A guide to the food hall and tips on must-try dishes”
Second place: Gustavo Arellano, Edwin Goei, Charles Lam, and Dave Lieberman, OC Weekly
“The Only Taco Guide to Orange County You’ll Ever Need”

David McQuay Award for Best Columnist
First Place: Mark D. Crantz, Laguna Beach Independent
Second Place: Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register

Best Arts/Culture Story
First Place: Margot Roosevelt, Orange County Register
“Sold-out shows and thousands of DVDs sold: So why is Little Saigon’s popular ‘Paris by Night’ fighting to survive?”
Second Place (tie): Matt Coker, OC Weekly
“David Koenig has exposed the Disneyland secrets Mickey doesn’t want you to know about”
Second Place (tie): Richard Chang, Los Angeles Times
“Que pasa, Romeo?”
Third Place: Gustavo Arellano, OC Weekly
“Enough’s Enough: It’s Time to Save Orange County’s Chicano Murals”

Best Arts/Culture Review
First Place: Dave Barton, OC Weekly
‘Alien She’ Brings Riot Grrrl Energy to OCMA
Second Place: Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register
“‘Of Good Stock’ captures sisterly love, rivalry”

Third Place: Liz Goldner, art ltd.
“Alien She”

Marjorie Freeman Award for Best Humorous Story
First Place: Mark Crantz, Laguna Beach Independent
“Always on the Wrong Side”
Second Place: Kedric Francis, OC Family
“Gray is the way: Why old dads rule”

Third Place: Roderick Reed, Laguna Beach Independent
“Something Fishy on Valentines Day”

Best Food/Restaurant Story
First Place: Nancy Luna, Orange County Register
“Doritos born at Disneyland? Top iconic foods with O.C. roots”
Second Place: Paul Hodgins with Bo McMillan, Orange County Register
“Vodka, in flavors you can savor”
Third Place: Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register
“25 Best Things to Eat in O.C.’s Little Saigon”

Best Food/Restaurant Review
First Place: Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register
“Restaurant review: Twenty Eight”
Second Place: Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register
“Restaurant review: Tra House”
Third Place: Gustavo Arellano, OC Weekly
“Carnitas Uruapan in Santa Ana Is Pig Heaven”

Best Travel Story
First Place: Susan Christian Goulding, Orange County Register
“Winetasting a trail along Santa Ynez Valley’s Foxen Canyon Road”
Second Place: Nancy Luna, Orange County Register
“Quick Getaways: Shake Shack stacks up to hype in Las Vegas”
Third Place: Erika Ritchie, Orange County Register
“Quick Getaways: As spring approaches Mammoth still beckons”

Best Music/Entertainment Story
First Place: Nate Jackson, OC Weekly
“The Soul of Billy Preston is Being Fought Over in a Santa Ana Courtroom”
Second Place: Kathleen Luppi, Los Angeles Times
“Rocker Marco Mendoza’s new life with The Dead Daisies”
Third Place: Aimee Murillo, OC Weekly
Why South County is Becoming a Necessary Haven for House Shows

Honorable Mention: Joe DeLillo, Orange County Register
“Letterman’s retirement will leave emotional void”

Best Music/Entertainment Review
First Place: Joseph Pimentel, Orange County Register
“Disney’s new World of Color celebrates Walt Disney’s legacy”

Best Public Affairs Story
First Place: Kristine Hoang, OC Weekly
“OC’s Homeless Await El Niño in the Santa Ana Riverbed”

THE REAL O.C. AWARD

For the story, review, feature, blog, column, photo or broadcast/video that best captures something special, surprising, telling or essential about Orange County
Joseph Pimentel, Orange County Register
“The first two kids to walk into Disneyland”

SKY DUNLAP AWARD

For lifetime achievement and community service

Dennis Foley