Press release from UNC Asheville:
The Blue Banner, UNC Asheville’s student newspaper, was honored with eight awards from NC College Media Association’s annual conference, the 2022 Statewide College Media Awards. Held at UNC-Chapel Hill on Feb. 26, the conference recognized five of The Blue Banner’s journalists across six categories and awarded the team with a ‘Best of Show’ in Online News. UNC Asheville’s creative arts journal, Headwaters, also received a ‘Best of Show’ in the Literary Magazine category.
“Working on The Blue Banner team this year has provided us with lots of learning opportunities and many late publication nights,” says Jemima Malote ‘22, editor in chief of The Blue Banner. “Most of our editorial team has only had a semester or two of experience working on The Banner as writers or editors, but regardless of our experience, we’re dedicated to informing the student body and promoting the paper.”
Noting that The Blue Banner recently changed to a daily publication schedule and underwent an overhaul of the look and feel of its website, Malote remarks, “As print journalism moves online, I’m proud to say that this is the fourth consecutive year since 2018 in which The Blue Banner won a ‘Best of Show’ for Online News award.”
Additionally, the recent attention administered to The Blue Banner’s digital format, including focusing on “creating more digital media, mainly photo galleries and videos to accompany written story pieces,” according to Malote, may have supported freshman Grace Gosinanont in the ability to shine and snag a second-place award in the Digital Story category for her photo gallery, “BIPOC Advocacy Week strives to create a safe space for minority students.” This is The Blue Banner’s fourth digital storytelling award.
Another top-tier winner at the College Media Awards is junior Jessica Brock, a psychology major with minors in chemistry and mass communication. She received a third-place award in Sports Writing for her story “UNCA swimming standout breaks records.” “I’m so proud of all of the work we’ve all done for The Blue Banner this year,” says Brock. “We’ve worked really hard to change and improve the student newspaper for the better. We never put in the hard work with the expectation to win awards, but it’s such an honor to see our work being recognized, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us!”
The complete list of awards assigned to The Blue Banner for 2021 include:
Second place in Digital Storytelling: Grace Gosinanont, “BIPOC Advocacy Week strives to create a safe space for minority students.”
Third place in Sports Writing: Jessica Brock, “UNCA swimming standout breaks records.”
Honorable mention in Cartoons: Graham Dugliss, “Rocky!”
Honorable mention in Newswriting: Bailee Harris, “Unhoused encampment removed by city.”
Honorable mention in Opinion Writing: Bailee Harris, “Tongue-tied: America must stop shaming Appalachians for speaking Appalachian.”
Honorable mention in photography: Graham Dugliss, “Masked in shadows.”
Honorable mention in photography/art: Dylan Inness, “Taste the Tide.”
A Best of Show in Online News: The Blue Banner
A Best of Show in Literary Magazine: HeadwatersAt The Blue Banner, journalists come to the paper with various experience levels. “Some have previous experience from high school while others are new to the style of writing,” says Malote. “Anyone from any major or background is welcome to join or contribute to the paper. We accept content ranging from news, opinion, narrative nonfiction, and even artwork.” She continues, “The joy of working on The Banner comes from learning from one another and having an open environment to talk about issues and ways to address them.”
The North Carolina College Media Association, sponsored by the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, was formed in December 2007. It held the first N.C. College Media Conference in 2008 to recognize outstanding work from the state’s student newspapers, yearbooks, and online news organizations.
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