Times Carries Off 60 Awards at Press Club : Journalism: The newspaper wins 13 of 32 categories in which its staffers entered, including best news story, best beat reporting, best feature article and best story on science and technology.

Reporters, editors, graphics designers and photographers from The Times Orange County Edition earned a record 60 awards, including 20 first-place honors, Saturday night in the 37th annual Orange County Press Club competition, held at the Waterfront Hilton.

The Orange County Register took 13 awards, six of which were first-place honors.

Other local publications that won first-place awards were the South Orange County News, the Newport News, the Daily Pilot, the Orange County Business Journal, the Irvine World News, the Anaheim Bulletin and Orange Coast Magazine.

Orange Coast Daily Pilot reporter Russ Loar picked up the most first-place trophies in the annual journalism contest, winning for best news, feature and editorial in the category of less than 100,000 daily circulation. He also earned an honorable mention for the Marjorie Freeman Best Humorous Story.

Times staff photographer Mark Boster, a former Orange County Press Club president, garnered first-place trophies for best photographic portfolio and illustration, two second-place awards for best photographic pictorial and essay, and two honorable mentions.

Times staff writer David Willman was honored for the second year in a row with the Watchdog Award, the club’s prestigious prize for excellence in government reporting. Times staff writer Jeffrey A. Perlman shared this year’s Watchdog honors with Willman.

The Times won 13 of 32 categories in which its journalists were qualified to enter, including best news story, best beat reporting, best feature article and best story on science and technology. Virtually every category for which Times employees were qualified to enter included at least one winner from the newspaper.

Times staff writer Gebe Martinez took first place for best news story, Times staff writer John Needham won a first-place trophy for best feature story and Times staff writer Tammerlin Drummond won top honors for her coverage of the religion beat.

The best magazine story award went to Times staff writers Nancy Wride and Matt Lait; best commentary went to Times business writer James S. Granelli, and the best investigative reporting award, the club’s other special award, went to Times staff writers Mark Landsbaum and Jim Newton.

Other Times first-place prizes went to editor Chuck Nigash, for best feature page layout; Ruthanne Salido, for best headline portfolio; George Foulsham, for best news page layout; Thomas J. Birschback, for best sports and recreation writing; Kristina Lindgren, for best science and technology writing; Lacy Atkins, for best photographic essay and best feature photograph; Gail Fisher, for best photographic pictorial; Don Kelsen, for best photographic portrait, and Robert Lachman, for best news photograph.

Patrick Mott of The Times won the special Marjorie Freeman award for humorous writing.

Register first-place awards went to Susan Kelleher, for best story on government, politics and public policy; Martin J. Smith, for the best story on social issues; Ronald Campbell, for best business story, and Nam Nguyen, for best informational graphic.

Register reporter Kim Christensen took top honors for his entry in the best package of stories, while Register reporter Gary Warner won first place for best series.

In other categories, John Longwell of the Orange County Business Journal took a first-place prize for the best news story in the weekly category; Eve Belson of Orange Coast Magazine earned a first-place prize for best story on law and the administration of justice, and Dave Carlson of the South Orange County News took first place for best sports photo and best news photo for a weekly publication.

Peggy Darnell of the Newport News won for best feature photograph for a weekly publication; Cindy O’Dell of the Irvine World News won for best feature story for a weekly publication, and Terri Vermeulen of the Anaheim Bulletin won for best beat coverage for a daily publication of less than 100,000 circulation.

Mark Rechtin of the Orange County Business Journal won for best beat coverage in the weekly category; Eric Eberwein of Orange Coast Magazine won for best entertainment story; David Turner of the Orange County Business Journal won for best illustration, and Sarah McNeill of Orange Coast Magazine won for best graphics portfolio.

In the broadcast categories, KDOC-TV’s Beth Bingham took home a first-place award for best news story. Jack Finn, also of KDOC-TV, won a top prize for feature reporting.

In public relations, Cynthia Morris of UC Irvine won for best news release; Randall Black, also of UC Irvine, won for best feature release; Cathi Douglas of Amies Marketing won for best internal publication, and Orman Day and Erin Henry of Saddleback Memorial Medical Center won for best internal publication.

This year’s Sky Dunlap Award, given each year to the club member who has shown a longtime commitment and service to the community, went to R. Stanford Manning, publisher of the San Clemente Daily Sun Post.

Runner-up Awards:

Best news story (daily, more than 100,000 circulation)--second to Nancy Wride, third to Lynda Natali, both of The Times.

Best news story (less than 100,000 circulation)--second to Terri Vermeulen, third to Elka Worner, both of the Anaheim Bulletin.

Best news story (weekly)--second to Sara Fishburn, third to August Miller, both of the South Orange County News.

Best feature story (daily, more than 100,000 circulation)--second to George Frank, third to Chris Woodyard, both of The Times. Honorable mention to Matt Lait, also of The Times.

Best feature story (daily, less than 100,000 circulation)--second to Elka Worner of the Anaheim Bulletin. No third place awarded.

Best feature story (weekly)--second to Lynne S. Bourgault of the Irvine World News, third to Allen A. Greenberg of the Orange County Business Journal.

Best beat coverage (daily, more than 100,000 circulation)--second to Marla Cone, third to Lily Eng, both of The Times.

Best beat coverage (daily, less than 100,000 circulation)--second to Anne Peterson of the Anaheim Bulletin. No third place awarded.

Best beat coverage (weekly)--second to Allen A. Greenberg of the Orange County Business Journal, third to Lori Ann Basheda of the Orange Coast Daily Pilot.

Best story on business and finance--second to John Longwell of the Orange County Business Journal, and third to Michael Flagg of The Times. Honorable mentions went to Times staff writer Susan Christian and Register reporters Jonathan Lansner, Jerry Hirsch and Don Rosen.

Best column or commentary--second to Curt Seeden of the South Orange County News, and third to Don Dennis of Irvine World News.

Best editorial--second to Don Angel of The Times. No third place awarded.

Entertainment story--second to Robert Cetti Jr. of Orange Coast Magazine, and third to Mary Helen Berg of The Times.

Best story on law and administration of justice--second to Kristina Lindgren, third to James S. Granelli, both of The Times. Honorable mentions went to Times staff writers Dianne Klein and Chris Woodyard.

Best magazine story--second to Jacob Schreiber of Orange County Metropolitan, third to Lynn Smith of The Times. Honorable mention to Jennifer J. Laabs of Personnel Journal/ACC Communications.

Best story on government, politics and public policy--second to Patrick Mott of the Times, third to Chris Knap of the Orange County Register. Honorable mention to Eve Belson of Orange Coast Magazine.

Best package of stories--second to Gary Warner of the Orange County Register, third to Eric Bailey and Jeffrey A. Perlman of The Times. Honorable mentions to Register reporters Carroll Lachnit and Gina Shaffer.

Best series of stories--second to Dianne Klein of The Times, third to Susan Kelleher of the Orange County Register.

Best story on science and technology--second to Leslie Berkman, third to Patrick Mott, both of The Times.

Best story on social issues--second to Tony Saavedra of the Orange County Register, third to Lynda Natali of The Times. Honorable mention to Chris Knap of the Orange County Register.

Best story on sports and recreation--second to Jay Berman of The Times, third to Robert Cetti Jr. of Orange County Register.

Best humorous story (Marjorie Freeman Award)--second to Tracy Weber, third to Chris Knap, both of the Orange County Register. Honorable mention to Russ Loar of the Orange Coast Daily Pilot.

Best news photograph--second to Gail Fisher, third to Don Kelsen, both of The Times.

Best news photograph (weekly)--second to Marc Martin of the Orange Coast Daily Pilot. No third place awarded.

Best feature photograph (daily, more than 100,000 circulation)--second to Kari Rene Hall, third to Gail Fisher, both of The Times. Honorable mentions went to Times staffers Aurelio Jose Barrera, Mark Boster and Ken Hively.

Best feature photograph (weekly)--second to Marc Martin of the Orange Coast Daily Pilot, third to Don Leach of the South Orange County News.

Best sports photograph--second to Christine Cotter of The Times, third to Steve Zuk of the San Clemente Sun Post. Honorable mentions went to Times staffers Mark Boster, Ken Hively and Robert Lachman.

Best portrait--second to Gail Fisher, third to Alexander Gallardo, both of The Times. Honorable mentions went to Times staffers Lacy Atkins and Kari Rene Hall and Don Leach of the South Orange County News.

Best pictorial--second to Mark Boster, third to Glenn Koenig, both of The Times. Honorable mentions went to Times staffers Aurelio Jose Barrera, Don Kelsen and Robert Lachman, and to David Carlson of the South Orange County News.

Best photograhic illustration--second to Gail Fisher, third to Lacy Atkins, both of The Times.

Best photographic essay--second to Mark Boster, third to Kari Rene Hall, both of The Times.

Best photographic portfolio--second to Kari Rene Hall, third to Gail Fisher, both of The Times.

Best headline portfolio--second to Janice Page of The Times, third to Curt Seeden of the South Orange County News.

Best news page layout--second to Dixie Redfearn of the South Orange County News, third to Jon Ferguson of the Independent.

Best feature page layout--second to Cindy O’Dell of Irvine World News, third to Don Tormey of The Times.

Best informational graphic--second to David Puckett, third to Dennis Lowe, both of The Times.

Best illustration--second to Dennis Lowe of The Times, and third to Laura Greenwald of Orange County Metropolitan.

Best graphics portfolio--second to Nam Nguyen of the Orange County Register, and third to Dennis Lowe of The Times.

Best TV news report--second to Jack Finn of KDOC-TV. No third place awarded.

Best TV feature report--second to Beth Bingham, third to Julie Blanchard, both of KDOC-TV.

Best news release--second to Scott Nelson of UC Irvine, third to Loanne C. Curran of Orange County Transportation Authority. Honorable mention to Rick Miltenberger of Amies Marketing.

Best feature release--second to Cynthia Morris, third to Scott Nelson, both of UC Irvine.

Best internal publication--second to Dawn McCormick of the Irvine Co., third to Orman Day and Erin McHenry of Saddleback Memorial Medical Center.

Best external publication--second to Tracy Childs and Dawn McCormick of Nelson Communications/The Irvine Co., third to Wendy Paulson and Cindee Ross of Productions Unlimited.