IBJ won seven national journalism awards at the Alliance of Area Business Publications’ summer conference June 25 in Providence, R.I.

Judges from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism evaluated 487 entries from 45 publications, including newspapers in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. All told, 108 gold, silver or bronze awards were handed out.

IBJ brought home gold in two categories, including best investigative reporting for Cory Schouten’s April 2010 special report on former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi’s intervention in a major drug case against the client of one of his business partners.

Citing the “impressive combination of documents and on-the-record human sources,” judges called the story “a classic piece of investigative reporting that uncovers a clear conflict of interests by the prosecuting attorney.”

Managing Editor Greg Andrews also won top honors for his weekly “Behind the News” column. “This is a well-written, fact-driven column, based on strong reporting,” the judges said.

IBJ’s other prizes:

• Silver. Best industry-specific e-newsletter for reporter J.K. Wall’s Health Care & Reform Weekly e-mail.

• Bronze. Best website for IBJ.com.

• Bronze. Best multimedia story/editorial feature for Multimedia Producer Mason King’s videos that ran with a February 2010 profile of Scotty’s Brewhouse owner Scott Wise.

• Bronze. Best use of photography, illustrations for a collection of entries submitted by the IBJ art department under the guidance of Creative Director Deborah Strzeszkowski.

• Bronze. Best front page for designer/illustrator David Vrabel and former Creative Director Jo Hohlbein. They were honored for an April 2010 design that included an illustration of Biglari Holdings CEO Sardar Biglari and his business idol, Warren Buffett.

Los Angeles-based AABP is a national organization representing 64 independent magazine and newspaper members in the United States, Canada and Australia.

IBJ also won a national prize in April at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers’ conference in Dallas. King’s biweekly “Inside Dish” video features on the business of running restaurants earned a “Best in Business” award.•