The Collegian is an award-winning newspaper. Let me say that again, The Collegian is an award-winning newspaper.
Every semester, The Collegian attends the Associated Collegiate Press and Society of Professional Journalists conferences, and this fall, from Washington, D.C., we brought home five awards.
The most prestigious award is that we won fifth best newspaper in the best of show category for the large-schools division, beating out schools like the University of California, Los Angeles and Harvard, for our Paw Print newsmagazine.
Our head graphic designer, Katelyn Coffman, won third place in the design category for her fall album layout in our third Paw Print of the semester. The story headline was “5 albums that feel like fall” and the story is formatted in the shape of headphones. It’s one of my favorite designs of the semester.
Lifestyle Editor Olivia Pavao brought home fifth place in climate change reporting for her story, “Wildfires consume SoCal,” about the disaster that struck Los Angeles earlier this year.
Former Head Graphic Designer Erika Castro received an honorable mention for her front cover design of a Spring 2025 Paw Print edition. The cover incorporates graffiti art to highlight a feature story written about the Skate FSU Club.
Our entire staff was also recognized in an honorable mention for our election coverage in November 2024. It was such an adrenaline rush to be in a newsroom as a presidential election was happening. I’m glad our work was seen.
While our trip to Washington was not without flaw, taking home fifth place in the entire country, plus four other awards, made for a very successful trip.
