LOS ANGELES — University Press staffers earned four awards at the 18th Los Angeles Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards Gala. The awards were handed out Dec. 7 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
The entries were submitted in the student categories and receive entries from publications across the country.
Former editor Maddie Sims earned second place for Best Arts or Entertainment News Story for “Finding Joy in Creation” about Evita Tezeno’s exhibition of collages at the Dishman Art Museum. Sims also earned third place for Best Commentary/Critique for her review of Southeast Texas Stages’ production of "Constellations.” Sims, who graduated in May, is now a reporter for The Examiner newspaper.
Current UP managing editor Kami Greene earned second place in the Best Arts or Entertainment Profile category for her story, “Fruit City to Big Apple,” a profile of Lamar University alumnae Kate Robards.
Former staffer Sidra Ganni earned third place for Best Arts or Culture Feature for her story “Exploring the Unseen,” about the Dishman Art Museum’s exhibition “Where the Amish Vacation.”
“This is the first time the staff have entered this competition, and it is gratifying to see they are competitive on a national level,” Andy Coughlan, LU director of student publications, said. “One doesn’t do the work for awards, but it certainly doesn’t hurt and is a great motivator for the staff to maintain the high standards of the publications.”
Coughlan also competed in the professional categories and earned four awards for his work with The Beaumont Enterprise where he is a contributing arts writer.
Coughlan placed first in the Visual Arts/Architecture Feature (Over 1,000 Words) category for “Gauguin’s World,” a review of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston exhibition. The judge wrote, “The writer weaves the story of Gauguin's life and artistic journey beautifully with the story of Gauguin's art, providing an excellent overview of the exhibit, the artist, and the artist's impact.”
Coughlan earned second place in the Diversity in the Music/Performing Arts/Arts Industry for his review, “AMSET show challenges cowboy masculinity,” about José Villalobos’ exhibition at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas.
Coughlan also placed third in the Art/Design/Literature Critic category for his body of work, and also earned third place for Visual Arts/Architecture Feature (Under 1,000 Words) for his piece on Orna Feinstein’s exhibition at AMSET.
The contests drew more than 1,700 entries.