Tickets on sale for 49th annual Distinguished Journalist Awards banquet
Tickets are now on sale for SPJ/LA’s 49th annual Distinguished Journalist Awards banquet, which will be held Wednesday, Oct. 22 at the Castaway restaurant in Burbank. The event will honor and celebrate the outstanding careers of six local journalists, a non-journalist who has helped further the free flow of information, and two student journalists.
Our honorees are: Joanne Griffith, chief content officer, Marketplace; Mark Acosta, metro editor, The Press-Enterprise and the Southern California News Group; Larry Maestas, managing editor, Southern California News Group; Lolita Lopez, reporter, anchor, NBC4; Teresa Watanabe, reporter; Diana Martinez, editor, San Fernando Valley Sun.
The chapter's Freedom of Information award, given to a non-journalist who has helped further the free flow of information and championed freedom of the press, will go to John F. Szabo, City Librarian, Los Angeles Public Library.
The chapter will also recognize two students – one from a two-year college and one from a four-year university – who show promise as emerging journalists. This year’s outstanding students are Delilah Brumer, Pierce College, and Lex Wang, University of California, Los Angeles.
Purchase tickets here
The banquet will begin at 6 p.m. with a no-host bar followed by a sit-down dinner, our soon-to-be-announced keynote speaker and lots of great stories.
Early bird tickets will be on sale from August 11 to September 1. The early bird price is $125 for SPJ/LA members and $150 for non-members. Prices will increase September 2 to $145 for SPJ/LA members and $170 for non-members.
The price for students is $95.
Ticket sales will end Oct. 13. Any tickets bought after that date will incur a 10% surcharge.
Those interested in buying tables of 10 or sponsoring the event, which helps support SPJ/LA’s annual student scholarships, should contact spjlosangeles@gmail.com.
Tickets may be purchased on Eventbrite by clicking here. Payments can also be made via check by sending them to:
SPJ/LA
c/o Roberta Wax
P.O. Box 3173
Granada Hills, CA 91394
The Distinguished Journalist Awards, created in 1976, honor journalists who have achieved an impressive record of accomplishments in print, television, radio, visual and digital media over their careers.