Tech journalism has earned national recognition by earning nine awards from the National Federation of Press Women. The NFPW has announced its 2011 Communications Contest winners. Ashley Dison, a May 2011 journalism graduate from Spearsville, earned first place for column writing for a newspaper, magazine or special supplement. Amy Olita, a senior journalism and art double major from Shreveport, placed first in design of a newspaper, magazine or special supplement and earned an honorable mention for graphics/illustrations in a newspaper, magazine or special supplement. Amber Guyotte, a senior journalism major from Jonesboro, won second place for news writing for a newspaper, magazine or special supplement; and Danielle Cintron, a senior journalism and English double major from La Place, earned the third place award for feature writing for a newspaper, magazine or special supplement. In the professional division, assistant professor Elizabeth Barfoot Christian earned third place recognition in four categories: blogs (for corporate/profit site) for her monthly contribution to Rowman & Littlefield Publishers blog site; single news release; single features release; and edited book, for Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture. National winners were chosen from among first-place winners in the state competitions from across the country. Winners will be honored at the NFPW annual conference Sept. 10 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. NFPW is a non-profit organization that has promoted excellence and ethics across media platforms for more than 70 years. The organization is committed to protecting First Amendment rights and professional growth for the future.