UA’s Crimson White Takes First Place Honors for Best Student Newspaper

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Crimson White, student newspaper of The University of Alabama, took first place honors as the Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper at a Four-Year College or University during a ceremony held by the Society of Professional Journalists.

The honor was given during SPJ’s Mark of Excellence awards program in Birmingham earlier this month for student journalism in Region Three, which is comprised of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

“This recognition means a lot since it comes from a prestigious organization of professional journalists. It is truly an honor to be selected for this award,” said Paul Wright, director of the UA Office of Student Media.

Sports editor Jason Galloway also won first place in the sports writing category for his story “Prothro Still Believes,” which profiled former Crimson Tide football player Tyrone Prothro and his desire to return to playing football.

Additional students who received awards include Miranda Murphy and Drew Hoover. Murphy, a sports reporter, placed third in the sports writing category for her story “Quidditch Sweeps the Capstone,” which covered the championship round of Creative Campus’s Quidditch on the Quad event in November. Hoover, photo editor, placed third in the sports photography category for his photo of Julio Jones’ one-handed reception against San Jose State University in September.

“These awards reinforce what I’ve said many times,” Wright said. “This is one of the best groups of student journalists I have worked with in more than 30 years of working in student media.”

Annually, SPJ presents the Mark of Excellence Awards honoring the best in student journalism. Entries are first judged on the 12 regional levels, and first place regional winners advance to the national competition. The winners are recognized at SPJ spring conferences and on www.spj.org.

For more information, contact Wright at 205/348-7844 or pwright@sa.ua.edu.