UA Senior Named Southeastern College Journalist of the Year

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama journalism senior and Crimson White culture editor Abbey Crain was named 2013 College Journalist of the Year, and the newspaper won the Best Public Service award in the Southeastern Journalism Conference’s annual “Best of the South” contest, at the recent SEJC convention in Lafayette, La.

Overall, students from The Crimson White won four first place awards and placed in 12 other categories in the SEJC’s contest.

Crain, from Huntsville, was honored for her reporting on a series of articles, most notably her work on the “The Final Barrier,” a story detailing allegations of racism within the sorority recruitment process at The University of Alabama. She received a $1,000 cash prize from SEJC as part of the award.

“The Final Barrier” and the newspaper’s follow-up stories also earned The Crimson White staff first place in the Best Public Service Journalism category. SEJC judges cited the newspaper’s coverage for its impact in leading to the desegregation of traditionally all-white Panhellenic sororities at UA. The paper’s coverage received widespread national attention last fall.

Although the honor is a staff award, Crain, her co-writer Matt Ford, a senior journalism major from Tuscaloosa, and Crimson White Editor-in-Chief Mazie Bryant, a senior journalism major from Montgomery, were singled out in the Best Public Service category for their work on the “The Final Barrier.”

In addition, The Crimson White’s Mark Hammontree, a junior education major from Mountain Brook, won first place in the Best News Writer category, while Austin Bigoney, a junior political science major from Huntsville, also finished first as the Best Press Photographer. The Crimson White finished second in the Best College Newspaper category.

The Southeastern Journalism Conference includes more than 40 member universities across the Southeast. This year’s “Best of the South” contest drew hundreds of entries from 35 of those schools. The awards were announced during the SEJC’s annual meeting. Students from The Crimson White also spoke to a gathering of Alabama Press Association journalists earlier Friday.

The complete list of The Crimson White’s 2013 SEJC awards includes:

Abbey Crain, First Place, College Journalist of the Year

Mark Hammontree, First Place, Best News Writer

Austin Bigoney, First Place, Best Press Photographer

The Crimson White, First Place, Best Public Service Journalism (for “The Final Barrier” story and follow-ups)

The Crimson White, Second Place, Best College Newspaper

Marc Torrence (senior, journalism, Franklin, Tenn.), Second Place, Best Sports Writer

David Walton (senior, advertising, Greenville, Texas), Second Place, Best Magazine Page Layout Designer

Jordan Cissell (senior, accounting, Gurley), Third Place, Best Feature Writer

Alexandra Ellsworth (senior, journalism, Decatur), Fourth Place, Best Arts & Entertainment Reporter

Belle Newby (junior, advertising, Mobile), Fourth Place, Best News Graphic Designer

Nick Sellers (senior, journalism, Alabaster), Fourth Place, Best Magazine Writer

The Crimson White, Fifth Place, Best College Magazine  (for Gameday)

Katherine Owen (senior, journalism, Tuscaloosa), Sixth Place, Best Special Event Reporter

Kevin Pabst (senior, communication studies, Niceville, Fla.), Seventh Place, Best News Editorial Artist/Illustrator

Anna Waters (senior, journalism, Tuscaloosa) and Sloane Arogeti (senior, marketing, Atlanta, Ga.), eighth place, Best Newspaper Page Layout Designer

The Crimson White, eighth place, Best College Website