The staff of the Palo Alto Weekly and PaloAltoOnline.com has won 17 awards in the annual California Journalism Awards competition, which celebrates excellence in reporting, design, photography and multimedia by media organizations throughout the state.

Judged by in- and out-of-state journalists, the contest recognizes work published in 2022 by California journalists working for a range of news outlets, from campus publications to small, independently owned community newspapers to large corporate-run metropolitan dailies.

The Palo Alto news staff received first place accolades in the following divisions and categories:

Coverage of 2022 Elections (print division): "Anybody's game" by city hall reporter Gennady Sheyner

Investigative Reporting (digital division): "Fatal errors" by Sheyner

Land-Use Reporting (digital division): "Redefining downtowns" by Sheyner and Digital Editor Jamey Padojino

News Photo (print division): "We have to do something'" by Chief Visual Journalist Magali Gauthier

Coverage of Youth and Education (print division): "So long, early birds: To combat teens' sleep deprivation, California schools must start their days later" by staff writers Zoe Morgan, Leah Worthington and Angela Swartz

In addition to the first-place honors, Palo Alto Weekly staff also won the following awards:

In-Depth Reporting (print): Second place, "Battling bias" by Sheyner, Kevin Legnon, and Kristin Brown

Investigative Reporting (print): Second place, "Fatal errors" by Sheyner

Profile Story (print): Second place, "A principal's pledge: Barron Park's new principal aims to forge partnerships by making home visits to each student's family" by Morgan

Feature Story (print): Second place, "Live music rebounds from pandemic shutdown to foster renewed sense of community" by Editorial Assistant John Bricker and Editorial Intern Emily Margaretten

Arts & Entertainment Coverage (digital): Second place, "Holiday block party: Lego enthusiasts share passion for building" by Margaretten

Feature Photo (print): Second place, "A tender moment" by Gauthier

In-Depth Reporting (print): Third place, "Will new laws stop the thieves?" by Staff Writer Sue Dremann

Coverage of Youth and Education (print): Third place, "Making sure help is there: Palo Alto Unified launches new plan to boost mental health services" by Morgan

Feature Photo (print): Third place, "Ballet finds a home" by Gauthier

News Photo (print): Third place, "A historic strike" by Gauthier

Inside Page Layout & Design (print): Third place for "Battling bias', Design Manager Kristin Brown

Sheyner also garnered third place for investigative reporting in the highly competitive "Open Division," which pits first-place finishers in their individual circulation categories against all other winners. Sheyner's "Fatal errors" took third place while competing with the Los Angeles Times. Wrote the judge: "The reporter's clear writing detailed not just this tragic incident but the broader safety issues facing Palo Alto utility workers. The story explains clearly what is known as well as the unexplained questions. The section at the end explaining what went into reporting this story was a great touch. Fabulous job."

The Palo Alto Weekly staff, led by Editorial Director Jocelyn Dong, is dedicated to providing readers high-quality journalism that is informative, engaging and relevant to their lives.

The California Journalism Awards also recognized the excellent work of the Weekly's sister publications: the Mountain View Voice, The Almanac, The Redwood City Pulse, The Six Fifty and East Bay news sites Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com. All of the newsrooms are part of Embarcadero Media, an independently owned, community-serving media company.

The California Journalism Awards are organized by the California News Publishers Association, a journalism trade organization.