Metro San Juan’s Jean Michel Fiedler won an Overseas Press Club Award during the press organization’s 40^th annual gala, held at the El San Juan Hotel in Isla Verde on Aug. 29.

Fiedler’s cartoons for the Metro feature “Heaven and Hell at the San Juan Star,” nabbed the Best Cartoon prize, giving Metro its first OPC win. He received the award from famed photographer and teacher Alina Luciano. Fiedler’s work, published in Metro’s December/ January 2009 issue, illustrated former San Juan Star editor John Marino’s piece on the demise of the English-language daily.

Prior to Metro, Fiedler illustrated stories and covers for San Juan Magazine. He has also won numerous art awards in Puerto Rico, stateside and abroad. The artist also taught art at the Liga de Arte, Sacred Heart University and the Escuela de Artes Plásticas in San Juan. He studied art at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA and the Pratt Institute in New York.

–Valerie López

The Overseas Press Club of Puerto Rico recently honored Metro San Juan with three OPC Award nominations. The journalism organization presented the finalists during a press conference and cocktail held at the Museo del Deporte de Puerto Rico in Guaynabo on Aug 7.

Metro’s Editor and Publisher Philipe Schoene received a nod in the Best Sports Reporting category for his story “How Posada Got His Groove” (APR 08). In an exclusive interview with Schoene, the New York Yankees catcher discussed his career with the team and his crusade to raise awareness on craniosynostosis, a rare condition that afflicted his son Jorge, Jr. Well-known for his coverage of local and stateside politics, Schoene has earned seven OPC Awards in several categories, including Best In-Depth Reporting and Best News Interview.

Associate Editor Valerie López landed her fourth OPC nomination in the Best Arts, Culture and Entertainment Reporting category with her story “A Show of Force”(NOV 08). The piece showcases Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro as he made press rounds for his latest film project “Che.” López won an OPC Award in the Arts and Culture category in 2004 for her story “The Big Picture,” in which she spotlighted the state of Puerto Rico’s film industry.

Award-winning graphic artist and illustrator Jean Michel Fiedler was nominated in the Best Cartoon category for his illustration “Heaven and Hell at the San Juan Star” (DEC/JAN 09). The cartoon illustrates former San Juan Star Editor John Marino’s chronicle of the English-language daily’s demise last year. This is Fiedler’s first OPC nomination.

The Overseas Press Club will reveal the winners during its Annual Awards Gala on Aug. 29 at the El San Juan Hotel in Isla Verde.

–Valerie López