Established in 2003 and originally funded by former EiC Mike Kleckner, aka: Sean Roux who has since passed away. Mason worked in the newsroom on the arts and culture desk when Kleckner was EiC and showed a tremendous amount of spirit, once attempting to have a Daily Emerald halloween costume contest in the EMU amphitheater. Nobody came. Mason and the person he was down there with were both in costume and Mason had a microphone. People started arriving dressed up for a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show in the EMU. He continued to call out to them and try to get them to come join our contest. Nobody came. But he did not give up until the two hours we had the space reserved for ended.
(Left to right) Ysabella Sosa, Reilly Norgren, Tarek Anthony, and Stephanie Hensley
2024 Mason West Spirit of the Emerald Award
2003 Mason West
2004 Peter Hockaday
2005 Elliott Asbury
2006 Steve Miller
2007 Steven Neuman
2008 Christin Palazzolo
2009 Rebecca Woolington
2010 Ivar Vong
2011 Kenny Ocker
2012 Matt Walks
2013 Samantha Matsumoto
2014 Ian Campbell
2015 Thomas Witt
2016 Tanner Owens
2017 Anna Lieberman
2018 Sararosa Davies
2019 Emily Poole
2020 Sararosa Davies
2021 Sophia Edelblute Capps
2022 Francis O’Leary
2023 Braydon Iverson
2024 Tarek Anthony, Stephanie Hensley, Reilly Norgren and Ysabella Sosa