SPJ honors student journalists, alums

University of Idaho students and graduates won seven regional Mark of Excellence awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. They received certificates at a regional meeting March 24 at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

Two first-place regional winners – Tara Roberts for editorial writing and Melissa Davlin for feature photography – will advance to the national round of judging. They are eligible for national SPJ awards to be presented at the society’s annual meeting Oct. 4-7 in Washington, D.C.

Roberts is the editor-in-chief of the Argonaut, the UI’s twice-weekly student paper. She is a senior English major with a creative writing emphasis. Her entry consisted of three editorials, one about funding cuts that threaten the bus system between the UI and Washington State University and two about the UI’s new marketing campaign.

Davlin recently stepped down as manager of the UI Photo Bureau, which provides photos for the Argonaut and the student magazine, BLOT, published twice a year. She is studying in Japan this semester and will finish her English/professional writing degree in August. Her photo essay, titled “Different Dances,” depicted a dance performance on campus. Other UI winners are:

• Sam Taylor, second place for breaking news reporting, and third place for feature reporting. Taylor, a 2006 journalism graduate, is a reporter for the Bellingham, Wash., Herald.
• Hartley Riedner, second place for general news reporting. Riedner is a senior journalism major.
• Nate Poppino, third place for editorial writing. Poppino is a senior journalism major and the managing editor of the Argonaut.
• Bruce Mann, third place for feature photography. Mann is a senior journalism major and staff photographer for the Argonaut and Blot.
• BLOT, edited by senior journalism major Carissa Wright, third place for best all-around student magazine for its fall 2006 issue.