Zócalo Public Square was honored with four first-place awards and eight total prizes at the Los Angeles Press Club’s 65th annual Southern California Journalism Awards Sunday night.

The winning entries showcased the range of editorial and public programming published at Zócalo, from an investigation into rural “prison towns” in California to a public program discussing the women and girls leading the fight for change in Iran.

“Zócalo is at its best when we connect profound ideas and experiences with our audience,” said Zócalo executive director Moira Shourie. “The diversity of topics and categories awarded reflects our kaleidoscopic nature. I’m proud of the team behind all this brilliant work.”

A huge congratulations to all winners. And thank you to our contributors, collaborators, and you—our readers—for making what we do possible!

Founded in Los Angeles in 2003, Zócalo Public Square is an ASU Media Enterprise. We syndicate our journalism to 290 media outlets worldwide and have hosted more than 703 events in over 30 cities in the U.S. and beyond, including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Shanghai, Guadalajara, London, and Berlin. We are a nonprofit organization that frequently partners with educational, cultural, and philanthropic institutions, as well as public agencies.

Check out Zócalo’s winning entries below:

“What Would the End of Mass Incarceration Mean for Prison Towns?” by Zócalo Public Square Staff (First place, “Investigative, Magazine”)

“How Rural Schools Survived the Pandemic” by Niu Gao (First place, “Educational Reporting”)

“The Valley’s Last Camaro” by Andrew Warren and Tim Moore (First place, “Non-Political Commentary”)

“How Can Women and Girls Win in Iran?” by Zócalo Public Square Staff (First place, “Talk/Public Affairs”)

“Will Americans Ever Be in This Together? With Heather McGhee” by Zócalo Public Square Staff (Second place, “Talk/Public Affairs”)

“If You’re Latinx, Loving the Dodgers Is Complicated” by Natalia Molina (Second place, “Sports Commentary”)

“When the Public Narrative Fails” by David L. Ulin (Second place, “Political Commentary,” National)

“Hey California, the Peafowl Isn’t Your Scape-Bird” by Joe Mathews (Third place, “Humor/Satire Writing”)

Read the full list of SoCal Journalism Awards winners, along with the judges’ comments about first-place finishers, here.