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The Business Journal celebrated a milestone achievement at the California Journalism Awards, winning a total of 10 first-place awards and several second and third-place honors. Highlights included awards for best newsletter, excellence in agricultural and technology reporting, and impressive design accolades. The publication demonstrated its commitment to high-quality journalism and community engagement, reflecting its prominent status among weekly newspapers in California.

California experienced a significant achievement this weekend as The Business Journal celebrated its largest-ever collection of awards at the California Journalism Awards in 2024. The event, hosted by the California News Publishers Association, recognized the publication for its outstanding reporting and design work, showcasing a total of 10 first-place awards alongside seven second-place awards, with additional third-place accolades as well.

The Business Journal competes in a challenging category against other weekly newspapers with circulation numbers ranging from 4,301 to 11,000. Among its notable achievements was the first-place win for the “Best Newsletter” category, where its “Executive Dining Guide” stood out. The publication’s “Real Estate Weekly” secured third place, followed closely by “Daily Update” in fourth place.

One of the standout categories was “Agricultural Reporting,” where The Business Journal dominated with a first-place award for its detailed coverage on the acquisition of Central Valley Meat, alongside the layoffs that occurred at the Cargill beef plant in Fresno. Additional awards were earned in this category, including third place for reporting on avian flu issues and fourth for farmland sell-offs.

In the realm of “Technology Reporting,” the publication also excelled, receiving a first-place award for a comprehensive story package focused on artificial intelligence and a second-place recognition for a piece about the Black-owned tech firm, Quiq Labs. Furthermore, the website thebusinessjournal.com achieved first place for the “Home Page Layout & Design,” highlighting the effective visual presentation and usability of the online platform.

Cecilia Lopez, the lead graphic designer, garnered first place for her impressive illustrations related to the Farmer’s Almanac and the INC 5000. The design team also received second place in “Print Front Page Layout & Design,” showcasing the publication’s overall commitment to high-quality content and aesthetics.

Frank Lopez proved to be a key contributor to The Business Journal’s success, winning first place in “Coverage of Business and the Economy” for a story addressing employment opportunities for individuals on the autism spectrum. Lopez also earned third place for another report on the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation and fifth place for coverage of a global IT outage.

In “Labor Reporting,” Lopez secured first place for an insightful analysis of union membership data during what was termed ‘Labor Summer’. His reporting in “Coverage of Youth and Education” also earned him first place, focusing on the collaboration between a Fresno engineering firm and Fresno State University. Estela Anahi Jaramillo, a former reporter for The Business Journal, received third place in the education category for her work on college partnerships.

Another highlight was the “Made in the Central Valley 2024” manufacturing supplement, which took first place in the “Print Special Section” category, while the publication also excelled in the “Print Special Section Cover” category with another first-place award. In tourism, Ben Hensley won second place for reporting on tourism spending, and he also achieved second place in “Fine Arts Writing/Reporting” for his piece on local music educators.

The ongoing coverage of the Scannell warehouse project in Fresno earned second place in the “Housing and Land-Use Reporting” category. In “Food Writing/Reporting,” The Business Journal received third place for a narrative on Yolked Kitchen and fifth place for covering a former journalist’s return to a family-owned donut shop.

The publication demonstrated its commitment to community engagement by securing second place in the new “Audience/Community Engagement Award” for its annual initiative “60 Ideas in 60 Minutes.” In sports reporting, Dylan Gonzales earned second place for a feature story about a local developer’s sentimental baseball outing, while Jaramillo’s report on a Fresno State athlete’s experiences with NIL rights received fourth place.

Further accolades included third place for Lopez’s article titled “From Clovis to Paris, via Egypt: Local manufacturer to make Olympic debut” in the “Breaking News” category and third place for the new “Social Media Innovation Award.” Other local news teams, such as Fresnoland, Valley Voice, and GV Wire, also received recognitions at the ceremony, marking a proud moment for journalism in California.

The Business Journal Shines at California Journalism Awards 2024

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Author: HERE Anaheim