The Alestle, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s student newspaper, won two national awards during the 98th annual Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Association (CMA) National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C.
The Alestle won first in the CMA Pinnacle Awards in the Best Portrait category and a second-place in the Best Newspaper Entertainment Page/Spread category.
“I was so pleased that The Alestle placed, and placed well, in two Pinnacle Award categories,” Student Publications Program Director Tammy Merrett said. “The awards recognize best individual work in college media across the country.
“This is the third year we entered this particular competition. Last year, we were finalists for one category, but didn’t win. It was a great surprise and honor to be finalists again this year, and win in both categories.”
For Best Portrait, the winning photo was SIUE student Jakob Ruffner’s portrait accompanying a story about University Hair that appeared in The Alestle’s January 2019 edition. The competition was wide open and not broken down by school size or frequency. Any school and news organization from across the country could compete in the category. Other winners included the University of Miami, University of Kentucky, California Baptist University and the Savannah College of Art & Design in Atlanta.
For Best Newspaper Entertainment Page/Spread, student Ryan Bieri and former graduate student Joann Weaver created the winning entry, the Metro East Eats “Battle of the Buns” in June 2018. Other winners included Langara College in Vancouver, B.C., and Elon University in Elon, N.C.
The Alestle has placed several times in recent years in national American Scholastic Press Association (ACP) Best of Show competitions at the fall national college media convention in the four-year weekly tabloid, large school website and special edition categories. The publication is consistently an American Scholastic Press Association winner and regularly wins several awards in the annual Illinois College Press Association contest.
Photo: SIUE Student Publications Program Director Tammy Merrett.