The Los Angeles Press Club gave the Business Journal nine awards last week.

Ringo Chiu was named the Press Club’s Photographer of the Year. Chiu competed against his colleagues from all circulation categories, including those at much larger publications.

“Ringo’s images are a standout,” the judges noted.

Alfred Lee was named Journalist of the Year, competing with reporters at other publications with circulations of less than 50,000.

“Lee’s exploration of the wild reaches of the Los Angeles real estate market displayed an investigative reporter’s tenacity, a beat reporter’s authoritative research and the breezy style of a deft storyteller,” the judges wrote.

The awards were handed out last week during the Press Club’s annual banquet June 5 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

The Business Journal also received the following awards in its circulation category:

First-place awards went to Tom Hicks for headline writing and David Nusbaum for sports writing.

Second-place awards went to Editor Charles Crumpley for column writing and James Rufus Koren for business writing. Hicks also won a second-place award in the headline-writing category.

Third-place awards went to Jonathan Polakoff for entertainment writing and Lee in the personality profile category.

The San Fernando Valley Business Journal, an affiliated publication, also was recognized by the Press Club:

First-place awards went to Robert Landry in the design category and reporter Elliot Golan for business writing.

Mark Madler won two third-place awards, one in the personality profile category and another for entertainment writing.

Also during the banquet, special awards were given to broadcasters Maria Shriver and Ann Curry, Michael Bloomberg and Matthew Winkler of Bloomberg News, and Khaled Abu Toameh of the Jerusalem Post.

The Press Club also announced the launch of an advisory panel with members including Eli Broad, Richard Riordan, Rick Caruso, Sherry Lansing and Los Angeles Business Journal Publisher Matt Toledo.