Skip to content

Greater Victoria journalists lauded at provincial awards

Editors recognized for 25-plus years of service to the newspaper industry
16602117_web1_190429-VNE-BCYCNAWinners_2
Keri Coles won silver in Feature Photo Award, Under 25,000 circulation, for “Graduation glee” an image from the Oak Bay High 2018 grad block party. (Keri Coles/News Staff)

Greater Victoria newsies are among the best in B.C.

A number of local Black Press News Media reporters, editors, publishers and creative staff earned wins at the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspaper Awards on Saturday night at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.

Victoria News journalists Nicole Crescenzi and Arnold Lim earned silver for their Multimedia Series Award for their story “Learning the ropes, police style”

Peninsula News Review’s Pearl Magazine earned special publication award for its circulation class, highlighting the team of Penny Sakamoto, Susan Lundy, Dale Naftel and Lily Chan. The Peninsula News Review earned silver in General Excellence among its peer papers across the province.

Former Oak Bay News reporter Keri Coles, now a breaking news team member with the Greater Victoria news hub, was one of three named as New Journalist of the Year. She also earned bronze in the Breaking News Video Award for “Injured hiker rescued after fall on steep terrain in Highlands.” Lim won gold in the category for his video work during the Camp Namegans moves last summer titled “Only tent city residents allowed into Goldstream Park campsites.”

Coles won silver in Feature Photo Award, Under 25,000 circulation, for “Graduation glee” an image from the Oak Bay High 2018 grad block party.

Coles earned gold in the John Collison Memorial Award for Investigative Journalism for her in depth article “When parents kill.”

Lim also earned gold in the Feature Video Award for his work with former Sooke News Mirror reporter Dawn Gibson called “A letter to my former self

He earned another gold for Spot News Photo Award for “Province gives B.C. homeless campers deadline to leave provincial park,” one in a series of stories that followed the tent city issue last summer.

Longtime Black Press News Media editors Dan Ebenal and Don Descoteau were awarded Silver Quill recognition for more than 25 years of service to the journalism industry.

Descoteau is a 27-year veteran of the community newspaper industry, all spent with Black Press.

This native of Victoria began his career as sports editor of the Williams Lake Tribune, the first publication owned by company owner David Black. He returned to the Island, covering sports for the Campbell River Mirror before returning to his hometown of Victoria in 2001. He has served as editor for Oak Bay News, Victoria News and Goldstream News Gazette. Descoteau currently serves as Monday Magazine editor.

Ebenal started with the Northern Sentinel in Kitimat as a reporter in 1990 shifting to editor then moving through Black Press newsrooms in Vernon, Penticton and Coquitlam before landing on Vancouver Island in 2014 and editing the pages of Oak Bay News and Saanich News. He is currently a paginator with the Greater Victoria news hub.

16602117_web1_190429-VNE-BCYCNAWinners_3
Chrissy Brett weeps as she holds another Camp Namagens resident at Goldstream Provincial Park in Langford Sept. 20. (Arnold Lim/Black Press)


Christine van Reeuwyk

About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm dedicated to serving the community of Oak Bay as a senior journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
Read more