A Peninsula Beacon contributor won awards for both writing and photography at the recent San Diego Press Club’s annual Excellence in Journalism event held in Balboa Park.

Scott Hopkins, 73, began writing for the newspaper 14 years ago after a lengthy teaching career. A 1967 alumni of Point Loma High School, Hopkins has often focused on his alma mater for subject matter.

He won a first place award in Breaking News for his story about the sudden death of a beloved NJROTC instructor at PLHS.

Hopkins received a second place award in Sports Writing for his account of frustrating penalty kick losses by Pointer girls in both CIF and state championship soccer matches.

Another second place was for Visual/Fine Arts Reporting for his portrait of a fellow PLHS graduate who has authored a series of books on local people of interest.

His final second place award was for Photography: Still: Photo Essay. Hopkins’ series of photos celebrated the return of on-campus commencements at 98-year-old PLHS.

Hopkins’ received third place for Photography: Still: Sports. His photo captured the moment when the 2021 PLHS baseball team’s hopes for a CIF championship were dashed by a walk-off hit.