The Cherokee Phoenix collects 15 awards July 23 at the annual Native American Journalists Association Awards Banquet in St. Paul, Minn. From left to right are Media Specialist Mark Dreadfulwater, Senior Reporter Christina Good Voice, Advertising Coordinator Nicole Hill, Assistant Editor Travis Snell, Multimedia Producer Craig Henry, Senior Reporter Will Chavez and Media Specialist Roger Graham. PHOTO BY DAN AGENT 

BY STAFF REPORTSST. PAUL, Minn. – The Cherokee Phoenix staff picked up 15 Native American Journalists Association awards July 23 during the association’s annual convention.The Cherokee Nation’s independent newspaper won first place in the General Excellence category for monthly/bi-monthly newspapers, while its website won first place in the General Excellence online category.Senior Reporter Christina Good Voice won first place for Best News Writing for a monthly/bi-monthly publication, while Senior Reporter Will Chavez won first place for Best Column Writing for a monthly/bi-monthly publication. Multimedia Producer Craig Henry won first place for Best TV/Video Feature Story and took home third place for Best TV/Video News Story.Reporter Jami Custer won a second place award for Best Feature Story for a monthly/bi-monthly publication, while Sports Writer Wesley Mahan won second place for Best Sports Story. Media Specialists Roger Graham and Mark Dreadfulwater won second place awards in Best TV/Video News Story and Best TV/Video Feature Story, respectively. Dreadfulwater also won third place in Broadsheet Design.For third-place awards, Custer nabbed one for Best Online News Story, while Chavez won for Best Environmental Story. Assistant Editor Travis Snell won for Best Column Writing and News Writing for a monthly/bi-monthly publication.“I congratulate the staff on their success at the NAJA awards. Their individual successes and our success at the Cherokee Phoenix is an indicator of what is possible when excellence is the expectation and when a tribe embraces the virtue of truthful storytelling,” Executive Editor Bryan Pollard said. “But these awards are not a pinnacle. It is imperative that we continue to challenge ourselves to improve our storytelling, presentation and distribution for our readers, our people and our Nation.”In 2009, the staff earned nine NAJA awards. Since 2001, the Cherokee Phoenix has won 70 awards at the annual conventions, with 20 being first place honors.The staff attended the 2010 NAJA conference July 20-25. According to its website, NAJA serves and empowers Native journalists through programs and actions designed to enrich journalism and promote Native cultures. It recognizes Native Americans as distinct peoples based on tradition and culture and educates and unifies its membership through journalism programs that promote diversity and defends challenges to free press, speech and expression.