Competition for Hawai'i's best overall high school journalism program was stiff, but Wai'anae High School took the top award yesterday for its newspaper, Ka Leo O Wai'anae.

There was a little less oxygen in the International Ballroom of the Pagoda Hotel as everyone in the room awaited the announcement in the Hawaii Publishers Association's 2006 contest.

"Dedication," Wai'anae adviser Lorraine Gershun said of her students after the program. "They made newswriting their No. 1 priority."

Chonte Fujioka, editor in chief and Wai'anae senior, seconded that.

"We worked hard for it," she said.

Dozens of students were awarded plaques and certificates commending their skills as writers, photographers, editors and designers, but earning high marks for the coveted best overall high school journalism program proved difficult.

A perfect score was 165 points, said Jay Hartwell, adviser to the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's newspaper, Ka Leo O Hawai'i. No one came close to that; 129 was the top score.

Hartwell, who could inherit some of the students who gathered at the Pagoda yesterday, took a few moments of his time at the podium to remind the budding reporters and editors of the basics.

"There were too many misplaced quote marks and missing or misplaced words," he lectured. "There was too much bad grammar."

Still, top was top, and second place scored only 1.4 points behind first, he said.

There was a tie for second place: Farrington and Kamehameha high schools shared it, and both took in a half-dozen other awards as well.

Farrington won the prize for the best single issue of a newspaper.

2006 HAWAI'I STATE HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM AWARDS

Sponsored by the Hawaii Publishers Association, The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

BEST 2006 HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM

1st Place: Wai'anae High School

Ka Leo O Wai'anae

Chonte Fujioka, editor in chief

Lorraine Gershun, adviser

2nd Place (tie): Farrington High School

2nd Place (tie): Kamehameha High School

3rd Place: Nanakuli High School

Merit Award, Established: Mililani High School

Merit Award, Intermediate: Iolani School

Merit Award, Beginning: Waialua High School

2006 COVER ART & DESIGN WINNER