University Press staffers have earned nine Pinnacle awards from the College Media Association. The awards were announced at MediaFest25, October 16-18, in Washington, D.C.
“It’s really exciting to see our staff get the recognition for all the work they put in,” UP editor Rayna Christy said. “These awards reflect our commitment to journalism and media in general. We pride ourselves on producing quality work with a string journalistic and ethical foundation.”
The Pinnacle Awards are CMA’s flagship national honors, recognizing the best student work in collegiate journalism, media production and organizational excellence. Winners are selected by a panel of experienced media professors and educators.
First place went to staff artist Dalia Osman for her “Scrabbles” comic strip.
Second-place awards went to former sports editor Brian Quijada for sports game story, managing editor Kami Greene for personality profile, and sports editor Aaron Saenz and photo editor Carlos Villoria for news photo package.
Third place awards went contributor E.J. McMillen for general news photo. Third place was also awarded to former editor Maddie Sims and Meagan Lafley for investigative story.
Honorable mentions went to contributor Luis Figueroa for portrait photo, Viloria for breaking news photo, and Sims and Viloria for magazine cover.
Andy Coughlan, LU director of student publications, said the awards reflect the quality of the work produced by the students.
“It is gratifying to see the staff rewarded for their hard work,” he said. “It is also exciting to see the awards spread out among many contributors, and not just communication students. The newspaper is open for submissions from anyone regardless of major.”
This year, CMA had a total of 3,358 entries and 1,165 finalists. The UP competes in Division II.
The awards are given for work produced during the 2024-2025 academic year. UP staffers earned six awards last year.
