The Orange County Press Club celebrated excellence in local journalism during its 2026 Excellence in Journalism Awards, the organization’s largest event of the year. The evening recognized outstanding reporting, photography, writing, and communications professionals from across the region while also unveiling the organization’s new logo as part of a broader modernization initiative.
“The Excellence in Journalism Awards are one of my favorite nights of the year because they bring together some of the most talented journalists, photographers, communicators and storytellers in Orange County,” said Destiny Torres, president of the Orange County Press Club.
“We celebrate the work, passion and perseverance behind the stories that keep our communities informed. The unveiling of our new logo makes this evening even more special as we honor our past while looking ahead to an exciting future for the Press Club,” she said.
Courtesy photo
David N. Young, from The Event News Enterprise was awarded the “David McQuay Award for Best Columnist,” winning the category after being a finalist for the previous two years. L.A. Times Columnist Gustavo Arellano, one of the award’s presenters, read from the judges’ comments from the winning column. “Young’s rare ability to blend wit and wisdom, the satirical portraits of the Founders on social media are genuinely clever yet serve a serious civic argument rather than existing as cheap laughs,” he said, citing Young’s column, “If Hamilton had a hashtag.”
“Most importantly, it (the column) refuses easy partisan finger-pointing and issues a challenge to everyone, making it the kind of patriotic writing that actually unites rather than divides,” he said.
The Orange County Press Club also recognized two distinguished journalism leaders. Christopher Trela received the Sky Dunlap Award, the organization’s highest honor for lifetime achievement and community service, recognizing his more than three decades of contributions to Orange County journalism, arts advocacy, education and community leadership.
Jill Replogle was named Journalist of the Year for her outstanding reporting and commitment to informing and serving Orange County communities through impactful journalism.
The evening also celebrated the next generation of journalists through the Press Club’s annual scholarship program. Scholarships were awarded to Sathya Chaib, Maximo Santana, Caleb Otte and Priscilla Preciado. In addition, Betty Kaldas received the Larry Welborn Scholarship, which will support her attendance at the California Scholastic Press Association’s annual workshop.
The scholarship program was made possible through the generosity of event sponsors and donors, including Carrie Freitas of KTM Agency; Norberto Santana Jr. of Voice of OC; Scott Rogers of Parenting OC, Fountain Valley Living and Huntington Beach Living; Rossmoor Women’s Club; Christopher Trela; Andrew Turner; and Carol Cormaci.
The evening also marked the public debut of the Orange County Press Club’s new logo. The refreshed visual identity reflects the Board of Directors’ ongoing efforts to modernize the organization while honoring its longstanding commitment to supporting journalists, communications professionals and students throughout Orange County.
Entries in the Press Club’s annual Excellence in Journalism contest were judged by members of the Press Club of Cleveland, Florida Press Club, Idaho Press Club, Milwaukee Press Club, Press Club of New Orleans, Press Club of Southeast Texas and Syracuse Press Club, ensuring an independent and impartial review process.
Also attending the event were Rossmoor Woman’s Club President Sue Denley and Public Relations Chair Cathy Fagen. For the first time ever, RWC donated $500 that was awarded as a scholarship to budding journalist.
The event concluded with the presentation of awards across dozens of categories recognizing excellence in print, digital, broadcast, photography, public relations and communications.