The Texas Intercollegiate Press Association awarded and recognized 27 Aggies involved in Student Media at Texas A&M in its annual newspaper and yearbook competitions.
A&M’s two Division I student media publications, the Aggieland yearbook and the The Battalion daily newspaper, received awards for columns, articles and overall excellence for items produced in 2013.
Jake Walker, editor-in-chief for The Battalion and senior agricultural communications and journalism major, said he entered The Battalion in the TIPA competition because he wanted the paper’s staff to be recognized for their contributions.
“I think the awards speak for themselves in regards to our great news writers, sports writers, columnists and graphic artists that help make this paper what it is,” Walker said.
Kalee Bumguardner, Class of 2011 and former editor-in-chief of the Aggieland, said these awards are evidence of the teamwork of Aggieland staff. The Aggieland was also recently named a 2013 Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker finalist.
“Overall I think it just speaks for the work that the whole team put in because we won awards across the board in photography and in writing and in design and so really it just was a testament to the quality that the yearbook had,” Bumguardner said.
Jessica Smarr, copy chief for The Battalion and senior psychology major, won best general column, shared first place for best sports feature and placed third in in-depth reporting at the competition. Smarr said this is the first year her work was entered, as A&M student media did not compete in 2013.
“This is the first time we’ve applied for it since I’ve been here,” Smarr said. “I was definitely pretty pumped. After the initial, ‘Oh my goodness this is the most exciting thing ever,’ I just knew none of those awards would exist if there wasn’t the help of everybody else [on staff] and without the support of everybody else.”
Matt Wong, Aggieland photo editor and senior finance major, won several awards for yearbook photography. He said when he heard about the six awards he had won for the yearbook, he was proud of his own work but that he was even more proud of the work of all his photographers.
“I have to say when I was told about the awards I was very proud of myself but of the team especially,” Wong said. “I think it’s good to feel recognized, but frankly I think it’s just about being able to cover these kind of events that make me proud to be a part of A&M and see the spirit.”
Mark Dor?, managing editor for The Battalion and senior English major, won for page design, shared best sports feature with Smarr and placed first in sports column writing. Dor? said he hopes future student media publications continue to be an award-winning forum for the A&M student body.
“The news industry is changing,” Dor? said. “If anyone tells you they know the answer to where it’s going, they are lying. I don’t know where it’s going, but I do know that we have to find a way to provide a student forum and provide an outlet for student voices. Whether that’s in a print product or a web story or a social media post, that doesn’t matter to me. We have to reach students in new and different ways because the [incoming classes] are new and different students.”