This post was updated March 28 at 10:34 a.m.

LA JOLLA – The Daily Bruin received 25 awards at the Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference.

Nearly 1,000 student journalists and student media advisers attended the conference, which was held Thursday through Saturday at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla At Aventine.

Attendees participated in workshops ranging in topics from reporting on the 2024 presidential election to visual newspaper and magazine design. Students and advisers also attended the ACP and California College Media Association award ceremonies Saturday afternoon. The Journalism Association of Community Colleges also held its awards ceremony Saturday night for two-year colleges.

The Daily Bruin, led by editor in chief Isabelle Friedman, won the ACP’s 2023-2024 Online Pacemaker award for excellence in its website for the sixth year in a row. The Daily Bruin also took home first place for newspapers and newsmagazines in ACP’s Best of Show contest, a competition specifically for media organizations that attended the conference. The Bruin submitted its March 6 issue of the print paper, which included its election package and a basketball insert, for this honor.

Arvli Ward, who spent 21 years as UCLA’s Student Media director, won the ACP’s Pioneer Award, given to outstanding journalism educators for their contributions to student media. During his tenure, Ward helped the Daily Bruin and seven other newsmagazines adapt to decreasing revenue. Ward resigned in April 2016 in hopes that Student Media would put his annual salary toward the editorial operations of UCLA Student Media publications.

“I’m proud to be part of something that really helps students succeed,” Ward said.

[Related Link: Student Media director resigns to support continuation of publications]

While an undergraduate student at UCLA, Ward served as editor in chief of Nommo, Student Media’s Afrikan newsmagazine, in addition to contributing in varying capacities to all of Student Media’s other newsmagazines. He currently works at California State University, Northridge as a lecturer in the journalism department and as the advisor and publisher of The Sundial, CSUN’s student-run news and multimedia publication.

The Daily Bruin also took home 23 awards from the California College Media Association, competing against outlets from across the state for work published between Dec. 16, 2022 and Dec. 15, 2023.

The CCMA awarded the Daily Bruin second place for best newspaper and first place for best newspaper website. PRIME, the Daily Bruin’s quarterly magazine, won first place for best magazine.

The full list of awards received in La Jolla are as follows:

Associated Collegiate Press

• Winner, Online Pacemaker: Daily Bruin Staff
• Best of Show: Winner, Best Newspaper/Newsmagazine: Daily Bruin Staff

California College Media Association

• Winner, Best Overall Newspaper Design: Daily Bruin Staff
• Winner, Best Newspaper Website: Daily Bruin Staff
• Winner, Best Magazine: Abigail Siatkowski, Megan Tagami, Megan Fu, Kate Green, Martin Sevcik and Maya O’Kelly for PRIME magazine
• Winner, Best Interactive Graphic: Junwon Choi and Liam McGlynn for “A Closer Look”
• Winner, Best Editorial: Zoraiz Irshad and Nicolas Greamo for “Editorial: Alarming surge in hate crimes on college campuses demands urgent action from UC”
• Winner, Best Feature Story: Dylan Winward for “In Plain Sight: As students sleep, UCLA bakeries turn on the ovens”
• Second Place, Best Newspaper: Daily Bruin Staff
• Second Place, Best Multimedia Package: Daily Bruin Staff for “Fall Foodie Digest 2023”
• Second Place, Best Magazine Photo Series: Christine Kao for “Ephemeral instants, eternally inked”
• Second Place, Best Magazine Inside Page/Spread Design: Emily Tang, Justin Huwe and Ramona Mukherji for “Beyond the Bus Stop”
• Second Place, Best Editorial Cartoon: Samia Saad for “Carnival House”
• Second Place, Best Headline Portfolio: Nicole Augusta
• Second Place, Best Sports Story: Jon Christon for “Another last-second shot from Gonzaga sinks UCLA men’s basketball”
• Second Place, Best Breaking News Story: Matthew Royer for “Prosecution granted retrial on all hung counts in James Heaps case”
• Second Place, Best Podcast: Jack Garland, Kayla Hayempour and Sharla Steinman for “This Week: November 17”
• Second Place, Best Feature Photograph: Shengfeng Chien for “Emily Bessoir is photographed sitting in the stands of Pauley Pavilion.”
• Third Place, Best Social Justice Coverage: Daily Bruin Staff
• Third Place, Best Social Media Reporting: Javier Jauregui Ramirez, Emily Tang and Alice Yang for “Westwood Chateau Investigation”
• Third Place, Best Infographic: Meng Masroor and Hanna Liu for “Graduation Photo Locations”
• Third Place, Best Newspaper Front Page Design: Emily Tang for “Daily Bruin Front Page 10/27/2023”
• Third Place, Best Photo Illustration: Nikole Liang for “Beatboxing Bruins voices goal to create community for present, future beatboxers”
• Third Place, Best Sports Photograph: Jack Stenzel for “The Trojan track team celebrates with USC sprinter Johnnie Blockburger as he pulls away from Herenton during the final stretch of the 1600 meter relay”
• Third Place, Best News Photograph: Shengfeng Chien for “A protester confronts District 15 Councilmember Tim McOsker”

Contributing reports from Matthew Royer, National news and higher education editor.