Culture OC continues to make its mark in Orange County journalism, winning 15 awards at the Orange County Press Club’s 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards, handed out on June 18. The annual event, which recognizes excellence in local reporting, once again honored our nonprofit newsroom’s work in covering the region’s vibrant arts and culture scene.
Awards were given in categories ranging from best feature writing to critical reviews, highlighting the breadth and depth of Culture OC’s editorial contributions over the past year.
We are also proud of the work our contributors create for other news outlets. In addition to accolades given for work written for Culture OC, contributors Richard Chang, Jessica Peralta, Shawn Price and Paul Rodriguez – and one of our board members, Christopher Trela – also received awards for work written for other publications.
All of our contributors’ honors are listed below. For the full list of awards, visit the OC Press Club website.
Best Arts/Culture Review
2nd PLACE, Eric Marchese, “SCR World Premiere Paints A New Portrait of Joan Rivers“
3rd PLACE, Christopher Trela, “Stealing Pulp Fiction Screens at Lido Theater,” written for the Newport Beach Independent
Best Arts/Culture STORY
1st PLACE, Paul Hodgins, “Classical Music is Booming. Theater? Not So Much.“
HONORABLE MENTION, Ashley Ryan, “Casa Romantica is Steadily Coming Back to Life After the 2023 Landslide“
Best Arts/Culture STORY, SPONSORED CONTENT
2nd PLACE, Richard Chang, “Discover the inspirations behind 60 years of public art at The Beach,“ written for Cal State Long Beach
Best BUSINESS STORY
HONORABLE MENTION, Christopher Trela, “Visit Newport Beach Finds Success with Creative Tourism Campaigns,” written for the Newport Beach Independent
Best FEATURED PHOTO, SPONSORED CONTENT
1st PLACE, Paul Rodriguez, Graduation, photographed for CUSD Insider
Best food/restaurant story
1st PLACE, Anne Valdespino, “Why the Ecology Center Wants to Change the Way You Think About Everything You Eat“
3rd PLACE, Cynthia Rebolledo, “Students Learn the Ins and Outs of High-End Dining at OCC’s Captain’s Table“
Best FOOD STORY, SPONSORED CONTENT
1st PLACE, Richard Chang, “CSULB alumna shares thrill of earning a Michelin star for Long Beach’s Heritage restaurant,“ written for Cal State Long Beach
Best HEALTH/WELLNESS story
2nd PLACE, Shawn Price, “Starry Nights,” written for Parenting OC
3rd PLACE, Shawn Price, ““Are the Kids All Right?” written for Parenting OC
Best music/entertainment Review
1st PLACE, Timothy Mangan, “Prieto and Pacific Take the Fifth (Mahler’s, That Is)“
2nd PLACE, Paul Hodgins, “Just How Great is Great Park Live?“
3rd PLACE, Timothy Mangan, “Matthew Halls Leads Pacific Symphony in Challenging Vaughan Williams“
Best music/entertainment STORY
1st PLACE, Timothy Mangan, “What Does a Conductor Do? What Will Alexander Shelley Do?“
2nd PLACE, Peter Lefevre, “Ukulele Against the Machine“
3rd PLACE, Christopher Trela, “Newport Beach Composer Joseph Mulroy’s Musical about OC Surfers Gets Full Staging at Irvine Valley College through April 14,” written for the Newport Beach Independent
HONORABLE MENTION, Paul Hodgins, “Pacific Symphony in Transition, Part 3: Finding a New Conductor for Changing Times“
Best music/entertainment STORY, SPONSORED CONTENT
2nd PLACE, Richard Chang, “How the CSULB Wind Symphony’s performance at the Kennedy Center was the experience of a lifetime,“ written for Cal State Long Beach
Best NEWS FEATURE STORY, SPONSORED CONTENT
2nd PLACE, Richard Chang, “Award-winning Beach TV News serves as diverse pipeline from CSULB to the industry,“ written for Cal State Long Beach
Best NEWS STORY, SPONSORED CONTENT
HONORABLE MENTION, Richard Chang, “CSULB Class of 2024 celebrates Commencement,“ written for Cal State Long Beach
Best PORTRAIT
1st PLACE, Paul Rodriguez, A.J., photographed for the Los Angeles Times
Best Round-UP or BEST OF
1st PLACE, Anne Valdespino, “10 Orange County Restaurants That Have Shaped Our Image of Mexican Cuisine“
3rd PLACE, Richard Chang, Kristina A. Garcia, Paul Hodgins, Timothy Mangan, Eric Marchese, Anne Marie Panoringan, Ashely Ryan, Kaitlin Wright, “Fall Preview 2024: Our Writers Have Chosen Their Top Arts and Culture Picks“
Best SPORTS PHOTO
3rd PLACE, Paul Rodriguez, Unbelievable, photographed for The Orange County Register
HONORABLE MENTION, Paul Rodriguez, Out of Reach, photographed for The Orange County Register
Best USE OF MULTIMEDIA
1st PLACE, Jessica Peralta and Shawn Price (with Eddie Monahan), “WonderCon Unites Fans with Comics, Pop Culture, Horror and More,” written for Halloween Every Night
3rd PLACE, Jessica Peralta and Shawn Price (with Vanessa Vela), “Slashers Axe Throwing & Ales in Costa Mesa Turns 1,” written for Halloween Every Night
Best VIDEO
HONORABLE MENTION, Jessica Peralta and Shawn Price (with Eddie Monahan), “King Kong at Maverick Theater 2024,” written for Halloween Every Night
THE REAL O.C. AWARD
2nd PLACE, Ivy Dai, “Historic Laguna Beach Building That Was Once a Millionaire’s Private Art Museum Has Transformed Into a Public Arts Center“
3rd PLACE, Jessica Peralta, “10 Years at The Frida Cinema“
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At Culture OC, our mission is to engage with a diverse range of Orange County’s artistic and cultural communities at every level by publishing news and critical analysis to encourage interest, participation, fellowship and dialogue.