The University Press won six College Media Association Pinnacle awards presented at the National CMA convention in New Orleans, Oct. 31-Nov. 2. The Pinnacles are the largest national college media awards in the country.
“These are basically the Pulitzer Prizes of student media,” advisor Stephan Malick said. “It is a strong showing by our students that their work and our program are competitive on a national level against some very strong schools.”
The UP placed in approximately half the categories entered.
“Next year we hope to enter more as we continue to rebuild the program following the COVID-19 pandemic” Malick said.
The University Press website earned second place for Best News Website Front Page.
Former sports editor Keagan Smith placed second in the Best Magazine Sports Page/Spread category for his work on NIL rights in college sports in the UP’s Upbeat magazine. Smith also earned third place for Best Investigative Sports Story.
Current sports editor and former photo editor Brian Quijada placed third in the Best Photo Package and Best Newspaper Photo Page/Spread categories.
Editor Maddie Sims earned honorable mention for Best Magazine News Page/Spread.
More than 280 schools and organization from across the country were registered for the convention with 830 students and advisors participating.
“This is a great accomplishment by our students and is a testament to the good work produced by student media at Lamar,” Andy Coughlan, director of student publications, said. “This is our first time to enter so to pick up six awards is exciting.”
Coughlan said student media is not only a valuable learning tool for communication students, but an essential part of campus life. All students are eligible to submit ideas and stories.
“We love to hear from students about what they are working on” he said. “We offer opportunities to publish work that stands out on a resume.”
The University Press publishes every two weeks during the long semesters. UPbeat is published twice a year. For updated stories, visit lamaruniversitypress.com.