The Los Angeles Business Journal won five awards in a nationwide competition of business publications, including the general excellence entry.

Presented at last week’s meeting of the Association of Area Business Publications in Indianapolis, the awards included three first-place prizes and two second-place finishes.

Of the first-place wins:

? Best explanatory journalism for 1997’s “City of Wealth” issue, which focused on L.A.’s richest citizens. “The work is exhaustive, informative and entertaining,” wrote the judges.

? Best local spin of a business or economic story for “A Forgotten Economy,” a look at economic conditions in South Central Los Angeles five years after the riots.

? Most improved publication. The AABP judges cited the paper’s “cleaner look and improved sectioning,” adding that “the writing is crisper and the coverage broader.”

In addition, the Business Journal placed second in the general excellence and overall design categories. “Good, solid targeted editorial with an eye to monitoring the city’s business pulse,” wrote the judges in the general excellence category.

The competition was administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism and involved business journals from around the country.