Northwestern News editors Ashley Strehl (left) and Michelle Willson show off some of the awards the newspaper’s staff won April 6 at the Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association spring conference at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
The Northwestern News, a student-produced publication at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, won 16 awards, including best overall student newspaper in the Diamond Division, at the annual Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association spring conference.
Editors Ashley Strehl, Freedom sophomore, and Michelle Willson, Conway Springs, Kansas, freshman, along with adviser Dr. Kaylene Armstrong, assistant professor of mass communication, attended the conference, which was held at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater on April 6.
The newspaper won five first-place awards, two of which were for the staff: overall newspaper and interior page design. Individuals or teams won the other three first-place awards: Northwestern graduate Katie Lackey of Ardmore, multimedia storytelling; Northwestern graduates Rachel Emerson of Enid, Victoria Schnaufer of Tulsa, Jake Goodman of Blackwell, and Altus junior Collin Stork for team enterprise/investigative reporting; and Northwestern graduate Melissa Noland of Coffeyville, Kansas, enterprise/investigative reporting.
The staff placed second in front-page design. Senior sports editor Sami McGuire of Backus, Minn., won three second-place honors: sports photography, reporting portfolio and multimedia storytelling. Other second place awards went to Northwestern graduate Haylee Bates of Woodward, general news reporting; Northwestern graduates Katy Hart of Springfield, Missouri, Taylor Morris of Omaha, Nebraska, Cooper Stanley of Mississauga, Canada, and Noland for team enterprise/investigative reporting; and Northwestern graduate Adriana Becerra of Chico, California, enterprise/investigative reporting.
Third-place awards went to McGuire, sports photography; Northwestern graduate Erin Davis of Fairview, multimedia storytelling; and Emerson, general news reporting. Aline freshman Ethan Sacket earned an honorable mention in reviews.
“Many people don’t understand how much work these kids put in every week to produce the Northwestern News,” said Armstrong, who has been the adviser for three years. “I am proud of the work they do and the willingness all the students in mass communication have to produce great work for the newspaper and other areas of our department.”
Student newspapers across the state entered work that appeared between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2017. Many of the Northwestern News winners graduated in May and December.
The Northwestern News competed against student newspapers from Northeastern State University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and others who are part of the Diamond Division of OCMA.
The Oklahoma Collegiate Press Association began in 1975 and changed its name in fall 2010 to Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association. Its mission has always been to “promote and improve student media at Oklahoma’s colleges and universities.”
To learn more about the Northwestern News, please contact Armstrong at (580) 327-8481 or kdarmstrong@nwosu.edu.
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Contact For Release:
Erin Davis, University Relations Specialist
eedavis@nwosu.edu, 580-327-8480