Guild friends, members win honors.

Sue Rockman, left, and her partner Robin Romaldvik embrace their son Maddox Rockman Ivan Romaldvik, 8, after hearing both Propositon 8 and DOMA had been overturned by the Supreme Court. Photo by Amanda Rhoades / Bay News Rising

In an early jump on awards season, Guild members and friends are enjoying well-deserved accolades.

Bay News Rising alumna Amanda Rhoades took first place in the 2014 International Labor Communications Association Awards for her photo essay, "Hundreds gather at City Hall to hear Supreme Court decision on gay marriage.”

The multi-talented Rhoades, who writes and shoots the news, negotiated student publication fees as union rep in the summer program’s second year.

The winners, whom the judges say “represented the best and most inspired” journalists in labor reporting, will be feted Dec. 12 at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Bay News Rising program assistant Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez won top honors in the Society of Professional Journalists annual awards for best investigative reporting in the San Francisco Bay Guardian’s circulation category. His story, “Friends in the Shadows," written with Rebecca Bowe, reveals how developers, corporations and city contractors buy influence in City Hall. Judges called it “a fascinating account of relationships between seemingly innocuous organizations and political decision-makers.” After the demise of the Guardian, the San Francisco native moved onto the San Francisco Examiner. A score for the Examiner!

SPJ also bestowed the Best Scoop Award on longtime Guild member Kevin Fagan for his San Francisco Chronicle story “Gold Country couple discover $10 million in buried coins,” “a fun treasure trove story that went viral.” Readers will remember the singing Fagan (who performs with the Irish Newsboys when he isn’t breaking stories) and partner Joe Garofoli entertaining at the Freelance Awards party in June.

The Chron’s Stephanie M. Lee won Best Feature for “Outsourcing a Life,”  “a thoughtful piece that brings to light the ethical implications surrounding the growing, unregulated world of international surrogacy.”