UA Student Journalists Win Top Awards at Conference

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Staff members of The Crimson White (CW), the University of Alabama student paper, won 10 individual awards and one team award at the 17th annual Southeast Journalism Conference hosted by the University of West Florida in Pensacola in February.

UA students who attended the conference participated in competitions and attended sessions led by professional and academic journalists.

In the team competition, The CW staff placed second. The team’s rank was based on the performances of individual on site winners, including:

  • First place: Chris Sanders of Smoke Rise, CW news director, media law category
  • First place: Chris Otts of Kenner, La., senior staff reporter, breaking news reporting
  • Second place: Alyda Hardy of Columbus, Miss., page designer, copy editing
  • Second place: Jon Gargis of Tuscumbia, student life editor, broadcast news writing
  • Second place: Charlie Gasner of Huntsville, administrative affairs editor, sports writing
  • Third place: Matt Yoakum of Tuscaloosa, opinions editor, editorial writing

In the Best of the South award competition, the CW won four awards for work published during the 2002 calendar year. Winners were:

  • Second place: Matt Giesman of Dothan, sports editor, Best Sports Writer
  • Third place: Brian Trippe of Lowell, Ind., fall 2002 art director, Best Newspaper Page Layout Designer
  • Seventh place: Tom Neil of Vestavia Hills, photographer, Best Press Photographer
  • Eighth place: Stacy Whitlow of Metairie, La., editor, Best Newspaper Page Layout Designer

Paul Isom, director of the Office of Student Media, attended as UA’s faculty delegate. The SEJC was co-founded in 1986 by Dr. W. David Sloan, UA journalism professor.

Contact

Kristen Smith or Linda Hill, Office of Media Relations, 205/348-8325, lhill@ur.ua.edu

Source

Paul Isom, director of Student Media, 205/348-7844, pisom@sa.ua.edu