Daily Pilot and TimesOC Writers Win Big at O.C. Press Club Awards

Writers from the Daily Pilot and TimesOC newspapers took home several awards on Wednesday at the Orange County Press Club's Excellence in Journalism ceremony. The event was held at the Anaheim Hills Country Club and honored the best local journalism from 2025. Together, the two newsrooms earned seven honors, and three of those were first-place wins. It was a strong night for community reporters who cover stories about real people in their neighborhoods.

Reporter Matt Szabo of the Daily Pilot had the biggest night of any single writer. He took first place in two different categories, which is a rare achievement. His winning sports story was about the Newport Harbor baseball team and how the players supported a teammate after the boy's father suddenly died. The story showed great care and heart in the way it was written.

Szabo's second first-place award was in the Best Arts and Culture category. That story was about a Huntington Beach artist named Chapman Hamborg, who had the police called on him because people thought he was homeless. Instead of getting upset, Hamborg turned the experience into a message about art and awareness. Szabo said he enjoys writing about people who find ways to handle tough situations.

Other Daily Pilot contributors also earned recognition that night. Scott French finished third in Best Sports Story for his piece about the Huntington Beach baseball team dealing with a tragedy during the playoffs. Staff writer Andrew Turner earned an honorable mention in the Arts and Culture category for his story about the Sawdust Festival's 59th season kickoff. Both writers added to the Pilot's strong showing at the awards.

TimesOC staff writer Sarah Mosqueda also had a great night. She won second place for a food story about a new Mexican bakery, called a panaderia, that opened in Santa Ana. She also earned third place in the Best Music and Entertainment category for a story about a concert hall in San Juan Capistrano that has been open for 45 years. Winning awards in two different categories showed her range as a writer.

The final first-place win of the night went to TimesOC contributor Edwin Goei. He won the Best Food and Restaurant Review category for a story about eating expensive Japanese beef, called A5 Wagyu, against the clock. His fun and detailed writing impressed the judges enough to earn the top spot in a tough competition. It was a fitting end to a strong evening for both newsrooms.

Executive editor Carol Cormaci praised all of the winners and said the whole newsroom was proud. She also gave credit to the Orange County Press Club for supporting young journalists through its scholarship program. 'It's always a thrill for our newsroom when we learn some of our colleagues have been recognized for their work,' Cormaci said. The awards were a reminder of how important local news stories can be to a community.