Culture OC Team Earns 15 Honors at the 2025 OC Press Club Awards

Culture OC’s reporting was recognized with top honors from the Orange County Press Club, bringing home 15 awards for our arts and culture journalism.

Culture OC contributors and honorees at the Orange County Press Club's 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards. From left, TOP ROW: Richard Chang, Ivy Dai, Kristina M. Garcia, Paul Hodgins, Peter Lefevre; MIDDLE ROW: Timothy Mangan, Eric Marchese, Anne Marie Panoringan, Jessica Peralta, Cynthia Rebolledo; BOTTOM ROW: Paul Rodriguez, Ashley Ryan, Christopher Trela, Anne Valdespino and Kaitlin Wright. Not pictured, Shawn Price. Photo collage by Heide Janssen, Culture OC

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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.

First place trophies for Culture OC writers. Photo by Richard Chang, Culture OC

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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"