Vida en el Valle wins eight national awards for Spanish publications
.JPG "La participación de salvadoreños del Valle Central superó las expectativas en elecciones presidenciales del domingo 4 de febrero del 2024 en Consulado de El Salvador en Fresno.")
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- Vida en el Valle won eight José Martí awards, including three golds in San Diego.
- Reporter María G. Ortiz-Briones won six awards in political, immigration and arts.
- Vida en el Valle earned a bronze for best bilingual weekly; has 14 historical top honors.
Vida en el Valle received three gold awards at last week’s National Association of Hispanic Publications conference in Southern California.
The José Martí Awards — which honors the nation’s Latino newspapers and magazines — are the most prestigious in the Latino print world.
The winners of the 50 editorial categories in the José Martí awards were announced at the association’s annual convention last week in San Diego.
“The José Martí awards set the gold standard for Latino newspapers in the country. These awards honor the Vida en el Valle journalists who have covered the local community for 35 years,” said former Vida en el Valle editor Juan Esparza Loera, who retired this month. “We are thrilled to win these awards.”
Vida en el Valle reporter María G. Ortiz-Briones earned six awards — three gold, one silver and two bronze — in the José Martí national competition, while former Vida en el Valle editor Juan Esparza Loera won a silver in editorial column.
The publication also won a bronze award for best bilingual weekly newspaper.
Vida en el Valle has been named the nation’s best bilingual newspaper more than any other publication by the awards.
The Gold awards:
▪ National Political Article: “Hunger strike results in changes for consulates in the US,” by María G. Ortiz-Briones. A story about changes that helped Mexican nationals seeking to conduct business at consulates, including the Mexican Consulate in Fresno.
▪ Latin American Article: ‘Salvadorans from the Central Valley voted massively from abroad,’ by María G. Ortiz-Briones. A story about the participation of Salvadorans from the Central Valley that exceeded expectations in El Salvador’s presidential elections.
▪ Immigration Article: “Trump’s mass deportation proposal sparks concern in the Central Valley,” by María G. Ortiz-Briones. A story about Central Valley farmers and agricultural workers fearing mass deportations under a Trump presidency.
The Silver awards:
▪ Editorial column-English: ‘Editor exits after years with award-winning Vida en el Valle,’ by Juan Esparza Loera. Loera shared highlights of 34 years with a bilingual newspaper that continues to serve Latinos in the San Joaquín Valley.
▪ Hispanic success story: “What you may not know about this iconic radio and television broadcaster from the Valley,” by María G. Ortiz-Briones. A story about Lupita Lomelí, who was also a singer, participated in a film and at one time worked in the fields.
The Bronze awards:
▪ Latin American - International Political Article: ‘State 33 is “an ideal” for many Mexicans abroad,’ by María G. Ortiz-Briones. A story about how Mexicans abroad desire representation in their country’s legislature.
▪ Entertainment article: ‘Documentary tells the story of the legendary Hollywood actor Pepe Serna,” by María G. Ortiz-Briones. A story about the life and career of legendary Hollywood actor and renowned visual artist Pepe Serna that can be described with a single word: art.
▪ Bilingual weekly newspaper.
Vida en el Valle has been named the top newspaper in its category 14 times. This year the top award went to El Latino American Newspaper, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. La Semana Del Sur from Tulsa, Oklahoma won second place and El Central from Detroit, Michigan took third place, along with Vida en el Valle.
This story was originally published November 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM.
