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The Orange County Press Club.

From ICE Raids in Orange County to Angels Stadium coverage to school district coverage to orphaned mountain lions, Voice of OC news stories received a total of 17 awards from the Orange County Press Club.

County Political Reporter, Noah Biesiada took first place for Best Political Story for Was Huntington Beach Up Front With Airshow’s Controversial Settlement?. 

Biesiada and Hosam Elattar also received first place for Best Poverty, Homelessness Story or Series for their series on food insecurity in Orange County and student journalist Maximo Santana won first place for Best Feature Story for Orange County’s Biggest Fossil Can Only Be Seen in LA.

The Complete list of winners:

First Place

Best Political Story
Noah Biesiada Was Huntington Beach Up Front With Airshow’s Controversial Settlement?

Best Poverty, Homelessness or Housing Insecurity Story or Series
Hosam Elattar  and Noah Biesiada, Food Insecurity Orange County

Best Feature Story
Maximo Santana, Orange County’s Biggest Fossil Can Only Be Seen in LA

Second Place

Best Civic Reporting
Hosam Elattar, How Long Does it Take to Figure Out If Angel Stadium is Trashed?

Best News Photo
Julie Leopo, Orange County Braces For ICE

Best Political Story
Spencer Custodio and Hosam Elattar, How Did OC’s Most MAGA City Council End Up on Trump’s Sanctuary City List?

Third Place

Best Breaking News Story
Spencer Custodio and Isabel Torres, Orange County Hits the Streets, Rails Against ICE Sweeps

Best Business Story
Voice of OC Staff, Will ICE Raids be the Death of Local Swap Meets in Orange County?

Best Education Story
Hosam Elattar, Santa Ana School District Settles Lawsuit Over Alleged Antisemitic Classes

Best Environmental Reporting
Maximo Santana, Can Two Orphaned 14 Month Old Mountain Lion Cubs Survive Orange County

Best Feature Photo
Erika Taylor, Santa Ana School Board Considers Laying Off 280 Teachers

Best photo essay
Julie Leopo  and Spencer Custodio, Orange County Grapples With Federal Occupation

Honorable Mention

Best Environmental Reporting
Hosam Elattar, SoCal’s Gas-Powered Water Heaters Won’t Get Phased Out, For Now

Best Long Form Story Or Series
Noah Biesiada  and Julie Leopo, Controversial Streetcar Forever Changes the Face of Downtown Santa Ana

Best News Photo
Maximo Santana, The Prima Deshecha landfill

Best News Story
Noah Biesiada and Angelina Hicks, Who Gets a Free Ticket to the Orange County Fair?

Best Photo Essay
Erika Taylor and Angelina Hicks, Training Service Dogs to Ride the Bus

Amanda Santana serves as the Director of Marketing and Development for Voice of OC overseeing online, institutional and major donor giving experiences. Santana brings decades of work experience in the...