West LA Times

The Santa Monica College (SMC) student-run media outlet The Corsair and its staff brought home a total of 28 awardsfrom the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP), the California College Media Association (CCMA), and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) at a combined mega conference held March 9-11 at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency.

Here is a complete listing of the awards brought home by The Corsair and its staff, including a coveted Pacesetter from the JACC: 

Associated Collegiate Press Awards

• Website, Two Year Campus, Third Place: The Corsair

To learn more visit studentpress.org/acp.

JACC Publication Awards

• Pacesetter: The Corsair Staff. The Pacesetter sweepstakes award is given out at the state convention to honor the top schools in mail-in and on-the-spot competitions (Colleges must win a Newspaper or Online General Excellence award to qualify). In addition to SMC, in the Print Pacesetter category, Los Angeles Valley College and Southwestern College also won awards.
• General Excellence: Print Edition, Staff.
• General Excellence: Online staff 
• First Place: Katheryne Menendez, Column Writing 
• First Place: Guadalupe Perez, Student Designed Advertisement 
• Second Place: Guadalupe Perez, Student Designed Advertisement 
• Second Place: Ee Lin Tsen, Sports Feature Photo
• Second Place: Danilo Perez, News Photo 
• Second Place: Neil O’Loughlin, Photo Illustration 
• Third Place: Juliette Marquis, Column Writing 
• Third Place: Jorge Devotto Ordoñez and Emily Miedema, Video Journalism 
• Third Place: Anna Sophia Moltke, Caylo Seals, Photo Story-Essay
• Honorable Mention: Caylo Seals, Inside Page Layout

JACC On-the-Spot Awards

• Second Place: Nicholas McCall, News Photo 
• Second Place: Nicholas McCall, Sports Photo 
• Fourth Place: Conor Heeley, Copy Editing

Founded in 1955, JACC is a nonprofit on the cutting edge of journalism education, bridging the gaps between students, educators, and publications by providing networking and educational events aimed at inspiring members at each stage of their journalism career. To learn more about the JACC, visit jacconline.org.

California College Media Association

First Place: 

• Best Online Advertisement: Guadalupe Perez 
• Best Newspaper Inside Page/Spread Design: Caylo Seals 
• Best Feature Photograph: Nicholas McCall 
• Best Sports Photograph: Caylo Seals 
• Best News Photograph: Danilo Perez

Second Place: 

• Best Special Issue/Section: Corsair Staff 
• Best News Series: Jackson Tammariello, Gavin Quinton, Sarah Nachimson, Carmen Gonzalez, Roxana Blacksea, Sydney Adams-Smith 

Third Place: 

• Best Non-News Video: Emily Miedema, Jorge Devotto Ordoñez
• Best Editorial: Juliette Marquis 
• Best Feature Story: Jackson Tammariello 

"The Corsair's student journalists never cease to amaze me!” said Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins, SMC journalism professor & Corsair faculty adviser. “Their dedication and hard work in telling stories that matter to their audience is inspiring. The students' successes and accomplishments are a direct result of the incredible faculty we have in our journalism program at SMC, as well as the care and support they provide to our students."

In addition to Blaize, The Corsair advising team includes professors Sharyn Obsatz, Gerard Burkhart, and Samantha Nuñez.

“We are living in an era where journalism is more important than ever to a healthy democracy,” said Burkhart, who is the photo adviser. “To see student journalists and photojournalists work so hard holding up the highest standards and ideals is deeply gratifying. It speaks to the promise of a new generation of cultural, political, and social observers who will fight the good fight to keep the world keenly informed.”

Santa Monica College is a California Community College accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The Corsair staff produces a bi-weekly newspaper in the spring and fall semesters, currently available on issuu.com/corsair.website, online at thecorsaironline.com. Follow The Corsair on Instagram @corsairnews.