Nicole Ball Takes 2nd at SPJ Awards!

Branford Patch editor Nicole Ball took home second place in the Video Storytelling category for her feature "Camdyn vs. Cancer" (July 21, 2011), the story of an eight-year-old undergoing chemotherapy. Congratulations to Nicole!

Patch editors and contributors across the state took home nine first-place awards in the "Online Independent" category Thursday night at the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists' annual Excellence in Journalism ceremony at Fantasia in North Haven, sweeping the video storytelling, sports news and sports feature competitions.

Patch also garnered nine second-place awards and three third-place awards. Here are the award-winners listed by category:

General Column

1. ; Avon Patch Editor Jessie Sawyer

Opinion Column

1. ; Stratford Patch Editor Jason Bagley

Video Storytelling

1. ; Avon Patch Editor Jessie Sawyer

2. ; Branford Patch Editor Nicole Ball

3. ; Naugatuck Patch Editor Ron DeRosa

Feature Photo

1. ; Windsor Locks-East Windsor Patch Editor Larry Smith

Arts & Entertainment

2. ; Naugatuck Patch Contributor Patrick Scalisi

3. ; Avon Patch Editor Jessie Sawyer

Feature

1. ; West Hartford Patch Editor Ronni Newton

2. ; Montville Patch Editor Carrie Jacobson

Feature Series

1. ; North Branford Patch Editor Jenn McCulloch

2. ; Avon Patch Contributor Ann Marie Potter

General Reporting Series

2. Freak October snowstorm coverage (; ; ; ); Tolland Patch Editor Jayme Kunze and Regional Editor Megan Bard

In-Depth

2. ; West Hartford Patch Contributor John Howell

Investigative Story

2. ; Middletown Patch Editor Cassandra Day

Sports Column

1. ; West Hartford Patch Contributor John Howell

Sports Feature

1. ; Granbys Patch Editor Ted Glanzer

2. ; Berlin Patch Editor Robert Mayer

3. ; West Hartford Patch Contributor John Howell

Sports News

1. ; West Hartford Patch Contributor John Howell

2. ; Avon Patch Editor Jessie Sawyer

Connecticut SPJ inducts new members into the Hall of Fame, presents scholarships to journalism students and honors supporters of Freedom of Information. This year's Helen Loy Freedom of Information Award went to political blogger Jonathan Pelto. The late Edward Cotter Jr. and the late John Mongillo Jr., both former New Haven Register photographers, were inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame.

Special guest speaker and Edgar-winning author Leonard Levitt spoke about the art of hard-core investigative journalism in this era when traditional newsrooms are brutally understaffed and digital start-ups are struggling to build their identity. Levitt writes the “NYPD Confidential” blog that regularly breaks national news about the hidden workings of the country’s biggest police force.

Here is the full list of SPJ award winners.